Summer school is about to take on a whole new meaning for dozens of Winnipeg tweens and teens. Red River College Polytechnic is rolling out its summer camp programming with hands-on day camps for the next generations of skilled trades experts, taking place at the College’s Notre Dame Campus over the next few weeks.

After a two-year hiatus, RRC Polytech’s Girls Exploring Trades and Technology (GETT) camps are back and, quite possibly, better than ever. More than 140 would-be campers applied to the program’s coveted 32 spots, which takes place this week and next at the College’s state-of-the-art Skilled Trades and Technology Centre.

Each camp sees 16 campers aged 12 to 14 exploring everything from plumbing, woodworking, cabinetmaking, welding, robotics, transportation trades, and for the first time in its 16-year history, masonry. At the end of their week-long stint, each camper will bring home a project of their own making: a steampunk-style desk lamp made of black iron pipe.

GETT camps are completely free of charge, providing a fun way to introduce girls to applied skills and technology skills while encouraging them to consider a variety of career choices, without a financial barrier.

“The GETT camps are a great way to introduce trades and technologies to girls, giving them the opportunity to develop new hobbies or interests that can turn into a career they may not have considered,” says Derek Kochenash, Dean, School of Skilled Trades & Technologies, RRC Polytech. “The popularity of this year’s camps shows that the stigma of women in trades is on its way out, and it’s more important than ever to continue to provide safe spaces for girls to explore careers that are rewarding, challenging, and creative.”

Starting next week, RRC Polytech is also hosting Technology Exploration Camps for all kids entering grades six and seven this fall. These camps give middle school students a real taste of various engineering technology-related disciplines, such as civil, electrical, and mechanical. Over their week-long experience, campers will learn the way things work by creating model bridges, building and programming their own robots, and even manufacturing a working model of a medieval catapult.

While the GETT and Technology Exploration Camps are at full capacity, RRC Polytech offers a variety of additional in-person and online summer camps for kids in Manitoba. Newly added camps include:

• Jumpstart Digital Art | Ages 14 – 18
• Quickstart Digital Art | Ages 12 – 18
• Queer Coded (for 2SLGBTQIA+ teens) | Ages 13 – 18

For more information, please visit rrc.ca/youth/camps.