YOUTH SUMMER CAMPS

Learning OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEENS 14- 18

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If you are between the ages of 14 and 18, and want to get your hands dirty and do something creative this summer, sign-up for a summer camp!

Professional artists and experienced makers run each camp for two weeks, teaching teens the basics of jewelry making, ceramics, and welding, all in a safe, respectful, and fun environment. Full scholarships and sliding scale tuition is available for eligible participants.

Camps with openings for Summer 2026 are below.

Date: August 10-14 + August 17-21
Days: Monday – Friday
Time: 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Frequency: 2 Weeks
Level: Beginner
Department: Jewelry & Welding

Camp Sparkle is a two-week day camp providing training in the industrial arts. Camp Sparkle is open to ALL 14-18 year olds, including LGBTQ+-identifying students and allies. Camp will run from Monday – Friday, 10 AM-3:30 PM. Eight campers will spend the first week in small-scale metals, learning jewelry and metal smithing techniques. Having built up their confidence in smaller metals, they will spend the second week learning to weld.

By empowering LGBTQ+ youth & allies and building community within the industrial arts, Camp Sparkle fosters free expression of gender and sexuality in an environment of self-discovery and creativity. The camps provide a welcoming, safe environment where all youth can explore and express their identities within the space of making.

In addition to acquiring skills in jewelry and welding, the curriculum includes a strong focus on the development of personal resiliency and agency.

HOW TO ENROLL

Students must complete the Camp Sparkle 2026 Application, regardless of whether they require financial aid. All enrollments are subject to The Steel Yard’s Registrations & Enrollment Policies. Please check out the Course FAQ for additional questions, or reach out to education@thesteelyard.org.

Date: July 13 – July 24, 2026
Days: Monday – Friday
Time: 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Frequency: 2 Weeks
Level: Beginner
Department: Ceramics

If you are between the ages of 14 and 18, let Camp Mudhead introduce to you the work of designing and making your own pottery. Students in this one-week intensive will explore both hand-building and wheel-throwing processes. The instructor will demonstrate new techniques each day, and students will explore a wide range of ways to interpret these basic techniques to approach an exciting body of work.

This is a great introduction for beginners to the ceramic process and also for the more experienced students looking to deepen their creative practice. Materials and tools will be provided. All materials, safety equipment, and tools will be provided. Unfinished student work should be picked up within two weeks of the last class

Date: July 13 – July 24, 2026
Days: Monday – Friday
Time: 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Frequency: 2 Weeks
Level: Beginner
Department: Welding

If you’re age 14-18 and wanted to try out Welding, either to pick up a new skill, explore a new art form, or test out a potential future career, Camp Metalhead might be for you! Camp Metalhead introduces students to creative metal fabrication. They will learn how to use the MIG welder, the oxygen-acetylene torch, various metal saws, and grinders to heat, cut, join, bend, and polish steel.

Students in this camp will acquire a solid set of technical skills, and will also exercise their creative design skills. The non-technical side of the class focuses on idea development and the critical-thinking skills needed to realize a vision. Students will use their new skills to work on personal projects to take home with them.

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COMMUNITY STUDIO ACCESS

After successfully completing the program, participants will be eligible for Community Studio Access, here at The Steel Yard, free of charge for as long as they are in high school or age 18 & younger. During these studio sessions, students can work on their own projects and spend time experimenting in our shop with the support and guidance of skilled monitors.

ENROLLMENT POLICY

All students are required to fully read the Steel Yard Registration & Enrollment Policies before attending the first class. Registrants who withdraw from a course at least 10 days prior to the course start date may receive a refund, less a $10 registration fee. There are no refunds or rescheduling within 10 days. By not budgeting for cancellations, The Steel Yard is able to keep costs as low as possible for our students.

WEAPONS POLICY

For the safety of all participants, the Steel Yard has a strict NO WEAPONS policy in the classroom. We prohibit the fabrication of any weapons in the classroom, including but not limited to knives, daggers, swords, axes, etc.

Questions? Please reach out to education@thesteelyard.org for assistance. 

At The Steel Yard, we believe EVERYONE deserves access to the education, skills, and equipment needed to directly improve their conditions and community regardless of their race, color, religion, national origin, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation or gender identity, status with regard to public assistance, military status, disability, sex, age or previous experience.