Rose Behar and Michael Johnston are the kind of entrepreneurs you want to cheer for, because society in the region will likely benefit from their venture.

I had the pleasure last week of meeting Behar and Johnston when I was invited by Entrepreneur’s Forum to join a panel of mentors helping them to launch CompCamp, a Halifax-based computer camp for teenagers this summer.

CompCamp offers four programs – each lasting one week – that will teach youth not only how to use technology, but also how that technology works. They will gain an understanding of the potential of technology and how to use it as they plot their career.

Starting at The Hub in Halifax, the programs include Game Development 101 beginning July 9, Social Media Unmasked beginning July 16, Hardware and Structure starting July 23 and Web Development and Design beginning July 30. Relying on small groups, community mentors, and hands-on teamwork, Behar, Johnston and the other co-founder Taylor Quinn will provide a safe, stimulating environment for male and female teens to explore these fields. They’ve developed the curriculum from discussions with computer science professors at Dalhousie University, research on the Internet and Johnston’s time working with Boy Scouts. If all goes well, they will expand to after school programs in the autumn and winter, and may even spread to other markets.

The simple fact that these three Dalhousie students are starting their own company is reason enough to stand and cheer. But there is something more at stake here.  Atlantic Canadian tech companies are crying out for qualified talent, at a time when young Atlantic Canadians are leaving the region due to lack of opportunity.

CompCamp will not be a cure-all for this problem, but it will help address it. Behar, Johnston and Quinn will show high school kids that activities they now view as recreation – such as video games and social media – are predicated on technology that can offer challenging, exciting and prosperous careers. In particular, they want to encourage young women to learn more about technology with the hope they will consider careers in digital technology.

Digital Nova Scotia is now a partner with CompCamp, and the tech community in Nova Scotia is throwing its weight behind the project. I’m helping them with promotion, and I’d ask anyone who believes in the potential of the tech community in the region to join Entrevestor in supporting them.

Please like CompCamp on Facebook. Follow them on Twitter at @Comp_Camp. And above all, please help spread the word to teenagers and parents of teenagers about this wonderful opportunity. There’s still space in these programs, but word is spreading and registrations are coming in.