Wanted: Witches and wizards for Hogwarts summer school

A 15-year-old Harry Potter fanatic is organizing an immersive summer camp for teens and tweens that strives to bring the magical world of Hogwarts to life. 

Campers can dress up like Dumbledore and Snape, help dwarfs find their lost wands, and maybe even play a game or two of quidditch. 

The Hogwarts summer school is being planned for Shawnigan Lake, on Vancouver Island, says teenage camp coordinator Maddy Kirstein.

A Grade 10 student at the Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry — a high school in Victoria — Kirstein describes the camp as a three-day immersive experience involving live-action and role playing. 

"That means you will be in a world that we have created, that J.K. Rowling created," Kirstein said.

"And this is a tribute to Harry Potter because we love Harry Potter."

The camp will not only be a chance to dress up like a character from Harry Potter, but also to attend Hogwarts-style classes.

"There is defence against the dark arts, there are charms, there is transfiguration, there are so many," Kirstein said.

"And the quests are my favourite part."

The camp was originally planned for 14- to 17-year-olds, but Kirstein says she heard from parents who wanted to send younger children.

In response, she expanded the camp to include kids as young as 11.

Kirstein is running a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to rent Shawnigan Lake School for the camp.

She says she is also still looking for volunteers to play dwarfs, elves and goblins. 

Kirstein is creating the summer camp with fellow student, Willow Hanuse, but adults are overseeing the creation of the camp. There will also be adult supervision at the camp to fulfil both legal and safety requirements.

Kirstein describes the camp as magical. 

"You just go and make friends and you can hang out," Kirstein said.

"You [would] just basically be at Hogwarts for three days."