Summer Fun Spotlight: 4 Benefits of Online Summer Camps

For many young people, summer camps provide a home away from home. And now with the advent of online camps, kids don’t even need to leave home to have those same summer camp experiences. It’s not all singing around the campfire either. These camps have something for every student, whether they’re interested in the arts, coding, or career prep.

1. Prepare for your future career.

In the United States, summer camps have been around since the late 19^th century. At that time, the purpose of camp was to return to nature and hone survival skills. Now, many summer camps still focus on building skills, but rather than teaching kids how to pitch a tent, they’re more likely to prepare students from a different type of wilderness—the world of a changing career landscape.

In the #FutureBuilt Career Skills Camp for high schoolers, you can learn what your prospective employers and colleges are looking for. You will learn from professional career coaches and other top career experts about how to create a resume, even if you have limited experience, and how to network with people in and around your circle for future success, among other skills.

Another camp that complements this one is the Job Shadow Week at the end of July, which is both free and accessible to all students. During this camp, you can learn about the job you want—or maybe the one you never ever knew about! Job Shadow Week prepares curious, driven, and ambitious students for the future of work by introducing them to professionals at some of the top companies in America. For one week, students are exposed to a variety of different industries and roles by being paired, virtually, with organizations and professionals in the fields they are most interested in or jobs they want to learn more about. Get inside companies that interest you without leaving home. See what Job Shadow Week was like last year.

If you’re a recent Stride K12-powered grad, you should also check out the Recent Grads Seminar: Career Skills Intensive. Whether you’re looking for a job right away or have other plans for the immediate future, this is your last, best chance to get real-world tips and support from a professional career coaching team.

2. Explore your passion.

Summer camp is a great way to explore your interests that you might not be able to think about during the school year. Not only does a more open schedule allow you the time you need to cultivate those passions, a summer with fewer obligations also gives you the freedom to pursue interests you didn’t even know you had.

Maybe you’re a student who typically excels in the STEM fields and are looking for a new creative pursuit. The Random Acts Theatre Camp may be a great fit. This camp is available for both middle school and high school students, and like Job Shadow Week, you can attend this camp regardless of which school you attend. In this camp, you’ll learn how to use theatre games and improvisation to create wild stories with crazy characters! Learn how to think on your feet, trust your instincts, and have a whole lot of fun in the process! Random Acts Theatre Camp is a great way to spend some time discovering the world of drama.

3. Meet “your” people.

Looking to meet people with your same interests? Because these camps are so widely accessible, you can cast a much wider net in your search for new people with shared interests. For example, you can attend the eSports and Coding Camp to step into the world of computer coding and then follow up with some serious esports action afterward. Coding classes will be split into basic and intermediate levels; esports play will be divided into beginner and advanced sections. You can gain experience on the CodeHS platform and benefit from live online instruction and coaching. It’s time to team up with like-minded students to explore these exciting fields.

As you search for your people, you might try to find people who don’t just share your interests—they share your perspectives. For example, are you the type of student who’s always cooking up the next big idea? If so, the Skills for Success: Developing the Entrepreneurial Mindset is the camp for you. Any skilled entrepreneur knows that any successful enterprise takes a self-starting mentality, which is exactly what you’ll demonstrate when you enroll in this free camp.

4. Have fun!

Many young people’s most resonant memories are from their time spent at summer camp, and for good reason. These camps can expose you to people, activities, and skills you didn’t know before. The Summer Rock and Jam Camp happens to wrap all three of those things into one experience.

Music is considered the universal language for a reason. And in this camp, you can learn to speak that language. Summer Rock and Jam Camp is a challenging and fun way to learn the fundamentals of playing an instrument both on your own and with others. Through one-hour long virtual jam sessions, students will play along with the instructor to develop the basic skills of rhythm, tempo, harmony, and improvisation. Students will learn by doing, with instruction along the way. Students can take the time they need to work on a skill at their own pace and rejoin the group when they’re ready.

What are you waiting for? Your journey to a fun-filled summer begins now with a simple click of the “Register Now” button.