Toronto student launches free STEM camp on York University campus for low-income kids

Dan Duong couldn't afford summer camp as a child, spending his days at his grandmother's house while his parents worked. Now, working as a youth development coordinator at the Parkdale Intercultural Association, he's making sure other kids don't miss out on hands-on learning.

Duong created the Toronto STEM Exploration Camp, a completely free initiative designed for families who might otherwise be left behind. Running August 10-14 on York University's Keele campus in North York, the camp offers five days of practical experiments that show kids STEM is far more than memorizing formulas.

"Most of these kids struggle with STEM subjects," Duong said. "They're smart, but they struggle with them because they don't really like them. Not a lot of people like memorizing formulas and equations. But the point of our camp is to tackle these kinds of programs."

The hands-on lineup includes building a potato battery, creating a lava lamp, making a prosthetic hand from cardboard, and running a parachute-building contest where designs are tested with a water balloon. The camp concludes with volcano-building.

"There are so many wonderful real-life applications to STEM," Duong explained. "The whole point of doing so many experiments is to show these kids that STEM is much more than just equations."

The camp is completely volunteer-led, with university and high school students serving as instructors and mentors. Beyond teaching younger kids STEM topics, Duong aims to provide mentorship to high school volunteers. The initiative is funded through the Canada Service Corps, a micro-grant program supporting community-focused initiatives.

Built around 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. working hours to alleviate parents' childcare burden, the camp removes financial barriers entirely — something Duong sees as essential to sparking lifelong interest in science and technology among underserved youth.