Connected Camps
Connected Camps (online programs), 30654 32nd Ave Way, Cannon Falls, MN 55009
About
Connected Camps offers live online clubs and camps where kids take part in Video Game Clubs, Live Online Clubs in Minecraft and Other Games, and online camps on Minecraft, e-sports, and digital maker spaces. Activities include Survival Club in Minecraft, Builder’s Club in Minecraft, Roblox Gaming Club, Minecraft Summer Camp, Afterschool Code and Play Labs at Connected Camps, and online summer camp programs that almost all involve the use of Minecraft. The program also offers classes in Minecraft and Roblox design and coding, e-sports leagues for Fortnite and Overwatch fans, and programs in engineering, architecture, coding, animation, game design, and storytelling hosted on custom Minecraft servers, including week-long Minecraft-based camps and weeklong, instructor-led camps that teach skills like coding, game design, and engineering through multisession lessons.
• Ages: 8–13 years old
• Schedule: Week-long, multisession lessons and weeklong, instructor-led Minecraft-based camps
Connected Camps’ mission is to build a global online community where kids build, play, and learn from one another. The organization is a not-for-profit and is part of the Connected Learning Alliance, and it offers year-round online clubs and a free moderated Kid Club Minecraft Server. Kids can connect to Survival and Builder’s clubs in Minecraft using a tablet, mobile phone, Chromebook, Switch, Xbox, or PS5, and a computer is not required. The program now supports tablets, phones, Chromebooks, and game consoles for Minecraft clubs, including Bedrock support, and offers programs hosted on custom Minecraft servers, including some programs just for girls and an online platform for children isolated at home to connect to other children and develop social skills and friendships. Connected Camps started in 2015 and is accessible across the U.S. and around the world, and its indirect cost recovery rate for federal grants is 10%. Connected Camps is in no way affiliated with Mojang, AB, nor should it be considered a company endorsed by Mojang, AB.
Connected Camps is led by Mimi Ito (Co-Founder and Executive Director), Katie Salen (Co-Founder and Chief Designer), Victor Lazo (Chief Operating Officer), and board members Barak Berkowitz, Carina Wong, Janella Watson, Joichi Ito, and Lili Cheng. Staff and advisors include Cindy Hau, Visual Design and Communications Lead and self-taught artist with a professional background in Customer Support and Graphic Design; Elissa Alves, Executive Administrator with a B.A. in English from Drew University and a background in children's publishing; Victor Lazo, who holds a Bachelors in Computer Science and a Masters in Business Administration from California State University, Northridge; Mimi Ito, a cultural anthropologist and learning scientist and Director of the Connected Learning Lab at UC Irvine; Katie Salen, a Professor in the Informatics Department at UCI; Barak Berkowitz, Director of Operations and Strategy at the MIT Media Lab, Executive Chairman of Digital Garage, and CEO of MarketCentrix, and former CEO of Evi and Managing Director of Wolfram|Alpha; Carina Wong, Deputy Director and Senior Advisor for Innovation at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with over twenty years of work in education; Janella Watson, an international speaker and educational consultant with more than 20 years of work in children’s museums and science centers; Joichi Ito, who runs Neoteny, co-founded Digital Garage, and previously served on multiple major boards and as director of the MIT Media Lab from 2011 to 2019; and Lili Cheng, Corporate Vice President of the Microsoft AI and Research division, a registered architect with experience at Nihon Sekkei and Skidmore Owings and Merrill, and former member of Apple Computer’s Advanced Technology Group who has also taught at New York University and Harvard University. Connected Camps taps the power of youth tech experts as counselors to teach and mentor and provides counselors with multi-year job experience and professional support.
Connected Camps is part of the Connected Learning Alliance and partners with community-based organizations, with program partners including Reid Hoffman & Michelle Yee, Kaoru Hayashi, Joi Ito, Microsoft Research, the Samueli Foundation, and Siegel Family Endowment. It offers community-based programs in addition to its online programs and provides connected learning experiences that foster creativity, problem solving, collaboration, and interest-driven learning, as well as online camps on Minecraft, e-sports, and digital maker spaces where students form meaningful connections.
One parent testimonial states, “This was a great class and opportunity for my son to play his favorite game with other kids his age. As a parent, I especially like that this club provided a space for him to play with other kids without the foul language and meanness that often take place with tweens/teens while gaming.” Another parent shares, “Our 9yo child looks forward to this class all week and literally has the best time with others who share her interests. The Teacher is kind and patient with the classmates.”
Last updated July 25, 2026.
• Ages: 8–13 years old
• Schedule: Week-long, multisession lessons and weeklong, instructor-led Minecraft-based camps
Connected Camps’ mission is to build a global online community where kids build, play, and learn from one another. The organization is a not-for-profit and is part of the Connected Learning Alliance, and it offers year-round online clubs and a free moderated Kid Club Minecraft Server. Kids can connect to Survival and Builder’s clubs in Minecraft using a tablet, mobile phone, Chromebook, Switch, Xbox, or PS5, and a computer is not required. The program now supports tablets, phones, Chromebooks, and game consoles for Minecraft clubs, including Bedrock support, and offers programs hosted on custom Minecraft servers, including some programs just for girls and an online platform for children isolated at home to connect to other children and develop social skills and friendships. Connected Camps started in 2015 and is accessible across the U.S. and around the world, and its indirect cost recovery rate for federal grants is 10%. Connected Camps is in no way affiliated with Mojang, AB, nor should it be considered a company endorsed by Mojang, AB.
Connected Camps is led by Mimi Ito (Co-Founder and Executive Director), Katie Salen (Co-Founder and Chief Designer), Victor Lazo (Chief Operating Officer), and board members Barak Berkowitz, Carina Wong, Janella Watson, Joichi Ito, and Lili Cheng. Staff and advisors include Cindy Hau, Visual Design and Communications Lead and self-taught artist with a professional background in Customer Support and Graphic Design; Elissa Alves, Executive Administrator with a B.A. in English from Drew University and a background in children's publishing; Victor Lazo, who holds a Bachelors in Computer Science and a Masters in Business Administration from California State University, Northridge; Mimi Ito, a cultural anthropologist and learning scientist and Director of the Connected Learning Lab at UC Irvine; Katie Salen, a Professor in the Informatics Department at UCI; Barak Berkowitz, Director of Operations and Strategy at the MIT Media Lab, Executive Chairman of Digital Garage, and CEO of MarketCentrix, and former CEO of Evi and Managing Director of Wolfram|Alpha; Carina Wong, Deputy Director and Senior Advisor for Innovation at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with over twenty years of work in education; Janella Watson, an international speaker and educational consultant with more than 20 years of work in children’s museums and science centers; Joichi Ito, who runs Neoteny, co-founded Digital Garage, and previously served on multiple major boards and as director of the MIT Media Lab from 2011 to 2019; and Lili Cheng, Corporate Vice President of the Microsoft AI and Research division, a registered architect with experience at Nihon Sekkei and Skidmore Owings and Merrill, and former member of Apple Computer’s Advanced Technology Group who has also taught at New York University and Harvard University. Connected Camps taps the power of youth tech experts as counselors to teach and mentor and provides counselors with multi-year job experience and professional support.
Connected Camps is part of the Connected Learning Alliance and partners with community-based organizations, with program partners including Reid Hoffman & Michelle Yee, Kaoru Hayashi, Joi Ito, Microsoft Research, the Samueli Foundation, and Siegel Family Endowment. It offers community-based programs in addition to its online programs and provides connected learning experiences that foster creativity, problem solving, collaboration, and interest-driven learning, as well as online camps on Minecraft, e-sports, and digital maker spaces where students form meaningful connections.
One parent testimonial states, “This was a great class and opportunity for my son to play his favorite game with other kids his age. As a parent, I especially like that this club provided a space for him to play with other kids without the foul language and meanness that often take place with tweens/teens while gaming.” Another parent shares, “Our 9yo child looks forward to this class all week and literally has the best time with others who share her interests. The Teacher is kind and patient with the classmates.”
Last updated July 25, 2026.
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