In the words of Kevin Cougler…

I came up with the idea of STEM Camp while on a drive with future Executive Director, Brent Peltola on that lonely stretch of highway between Edmonton and Calgary. It was 2013 and we were talking through what we would be doing in the summer since all our educational programs were conducted in schools. It dawned on me that a summer camp could be a way to reach children outside of school hours and STEM Camp was born. It began as a two-location pilot project (Western University in London, Ontario and Southgate Centre in Woodstock, Ontario) with one goal in mind: to inspire Canadian youth through hands-on, engaging experiences in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Rooted in the belief that curiosity should be rewarded, not redirected, I created STEM Camp to provide a fun and inclusive space where children could explore their sense of wonder, ask bold questions, and be amazed by what they could do with the right tools and encouragement.

Over the years, STEM Camp has grown into Canada’s largest  education-based summer camp, offering programs across dozens of communities in Ontario and beyond. Through activities themed around topics children love—like robotics, coding, Minecraft, and outer space—campers engage in learning experiences that feel more like play than school. These activities are designed to be inclusive, accessible, and age-appropriate, creating opportunities for thousands of children each summer to gain confidence in STEM fields regardless of their background or experience.

I’ve always felt that STEM Camp’s mission has been about more than just summer programming. It’s about contributing to the development of a highly skilled, innovative Canadian workforce by nurturing an early love of STEM. This was a sentiment echoed and supported by members of the House of Commons and the Senate of Canada in the early days and by longtime political staffer, Robin Russell who was our champion in government circles. Our goal was to provide meaningful experiences that make learning exciting, which would help build a generation of problem-solvers, critical thinkers, and creators. What started as a dream in 2013 has become a national movement—one camp, one child, and one moment of discovery at a time.

STEM Camp is the last surviving educational program of Partners In Research. In some ways one could say that Ron Calhoun’s mission of educating Canadian youth in the areas of health research and STEM lives on in STEM Camp. It makes me proud to think of that.