KPU Faculty of Trades and Technology hosts summer camp for youth

Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Faculty of Trades and Technology put on its first summer camp for young students at the Cloverdale campus from June 30 to July 4. 

Forty students, aged 10 to 14, spent a week on campus learning about various trades, including millwrighting, plumbing, electrical work, and automotive repair. Students were divided into groups at the start of the camp, allowing them to learn and focus on one trade each day.

Faculty of Trades and Technology Divisional Business Manager Mackenzie Mirchandani says planning for the summer camp started several months in advance, which involved creating age-appropriate activities for the young students and ensuring the availability of the right equipment to facilitate these activities. 

“The trades camp is something the Faculty of Trades and Tech has been dreaming of for a while,” Mirchandani says. “Then we had a unique opportunity to get funding to support this dream.”

KPU’s Indigenous Leadership department provided the faculty with $20,000 to support the summer camp. The funding helped bring the faculty’s dream of getting a summer camp to life, while also incorporating Indigenous teachings. With the grant and support from the department, the faculty was able to provide young students with the experience of learning different trades and handling fundamental tools. 

“We saw the camp as a chance to introduce young kids to the world of skilled trades in a hands-on way,” Mirchandani says. “We’ve noticed there’s often a gap in how trades are presented to youth — and so we want to continue to shift that narrative.”

Mirchandani adds the summer camp received positive feedback from not only the students who attended, but also the parents of the children. The participants got to take home their projects they made at the camp, with parents asking when the next camp would take place.

Students had the opportunity to build a sprinkler system at the camp, which they got to use in their backyard. 

“I think [the children] walked away feeling empowered,” Mirchandani says.

Due to the success of the camp, the faculty is considering creating more trade-specific camps, extending the age range, increasing the number of camp weeks, and including additional trades for the next summer trade camp, which will take place next year. 

The summer camp relied on faculty and staff to help run it, without involving trades and technology students. Mirchandani says having students participate in the camp is something the faculty will consider for future camps, as students would benefit from being a part of it.

“I think it would be a great opportunity for our students to be able to develop leadership and mentorship skills,” Mirchandani says. “It would be a unique opportunity for the campers that come to learn from someone who’s just a few steps ahead of them in their own journey.”

The Faculty of Trades and Technology will meet next month to discuss possible changes to the camp and the successes that came along with it. Mirchandani hopes the summer camp will keep going for years to come. 

“I think there’s alignment with keeping commitment to community engagement and trade awareness,” Mirchandani says. “As long as we can continue to invest in the camp and adapt it to meet demands, I think we can see it becoming a staple summer program.”