Gather ‘Round the PIT (Pop Up) This Summer!
Beat the summer heat at the NYC PIT Pop Up for a FREE indoor summer camp-inspired, public interest technology series where curiosity, creativity, and community come together at the iconic World Trade Center – Oculus.
Sign up for up to five themed workshops from mid-July through the start of August, focused on fun ways of exploring how technology affects our everyday lives.
- Your lived experience matters.
Our “camp counselors” will help you explore big questions in tech in simple, creative, hands-on ways. You bring your voice and lived experience. We aim to demystify technology through plain language explanations! No prior tech experience is required. - Bring your desire to question technology.
We will explore – Who builds tech? Who benefits from it? Who gets left out? We’ll practice asking better questions and imagining better futures. We are not selling products or beholden to any big tech vendors. - Leave with real-world tech skills.
We will tackle topics like AI, data privacy, design, and blockchain through games, group challenges, and creative activities. - It’s about community & people power.
Learn how technology can be used not just for apps and profit, but to navigate challenges, share resources, and support your community. - Let’s make something you can take with you and share with others.
Each workshop will include a take-home toolkit with activities, tips, and resources you can use after camp. - Come meet cool people and share ideas.
Try something different and meet new people. Each workshop will attract a diverse group of participants (i.e., everyday people, community leaders, and tech-oriented folks) to think about how we can use technology for good.
- Leave with new skills and big ideas.
You’ll walk away ready to question tech, use it more wisely, and help build a better future as a part of a growing community of people committed to this work.
Starting on July 15, 2026, all workshops will be offered twice on Wednesdays: once at “lunchtime” (11:30 AM – 1 PM) and again “after-work” (4:30 PM – 6PM).
Each Workshop will have a theme:
• July 15th: “Camp Data Trails”: At Camp Data Trails, campers become digital trail guides, following the clues to discover how personal and community data is collected, shared, sold, and used by companies, organizations, and governments. We’ll learn how to spot data risks, ask smarter privacy questions, and build a toolkit for protecting ourselves and our communities.
• July 22nd: “The Case of the Stolen Deed”: Something strange is happening in the neighborhood: homes are vanishing on paper, signatures are appearing like ghosts, and property records may not be what they seem. In this workshop, campers become Deed Detectives investigating the spooky world of deed theft: how it happens, who it harms, and why it matters. Then we’ll explore how smart contracts and blockchain technology could act like digital ghost-hunting tools, helping communities track ownership, spot suspicious changes, and protect homes from disappearing into the shadows.
• July 29th: “Camp Black Box – How AI Sees Words” At Camp Black Box, we’ll peek under the hood of large language models and turn invisible AI magic into something you can see, touch, build, and even print. Campers will discover how words get chopped into tokens, how sentences can become 3D shapes, and how AI maps language in strange hidden spaces. Through hands-on experiments with point clouds, embeddings, and 3D printing, we’ll turn prompts into objects and then ask the big campfire questions: What does AI actually understand? What does it totally miss? And why should we care?
• August 5th: Responsible AI Rangers! At Responsible AI Rangers, campers become responsible tech trail guides, learning how to use AI in ways that are fair, helpful, creative, and safe. Through hands-on challenges, team activities, and real-world examples, we’ll explore how AI can support learning, problem-solving, and community good, while also asking smart questions about bias, privacy, misinformation, and who gets left out. Campers will leave with a toolkit for using AI with purpose, care, and confidence.
• August 12th: Community Tech Jamboree: Build It for the Block! It’s time to bring everything back to the block! At Community Tech Jamboree, campers explore how AI, data, and community knowledge can be used to address real challenges and build stronger neighborhoods. Through hands-on activities, team brainstorming, and creative tech-for-good actions, we’ll imagine tools that help people, support local communities, and create real-world impact. Think of it as a camp-style showcase, idea lab, and neighborhood power-up session all in one.
Access to each session is limited to the first 30 “campers”, so sign up now! Each camper who registers and attends will earn $10 per workshop for up to $50 in cash stipend for participating. All campers will receive free swag!
This series of workshops was made possible through the CUNY Interdisciplinary Research Grant. Workshops will be recorded so they can be accessible to the public. Participants will be asked to contribute feedback on the workshops so we can collect qualitative data for future development.
Pack your curiosity & we will see you ‘round the PIT!