Design Thinkers

Have you ever wondered why you love certain products? What makes Disneyland so exciting? Why Apple an industry leader? Why people spend an average of 21 minutes per day on Instagram? The answer is user experience, otherwise known as “UX.” Nowadays, beautiful designs and experiences are expected for all kinds of products. As a result, the UX job market is growing at an explosive rate, creating new and exciting opportunities for those with a passion for design.

This hands-on program will bring a class of creative youth together to explore the principles of design thinking, branding, consumer apps, and learn about the nearly endless career opportunities in design. Students will be challenged to build wireframes, prototypes, and run user tests using industry-standard tools like Invision, Canva, and more! During the program, students will be broken into teams and assigned a real-world challenge to work on throughout the week. After finding a solution, teams will have the opportunity to pitch their ideas to a panel of industry experts. By the end of the camp, our innovative group of students will be equipped with the knowledge and skills that they need to successfully embark on their own design journey.

The Program:

Ages: 12-16
Level: Beginner – Intermediate
Duration: July 27-31, 2020
Category: Design and Entrepreneurship
Prerequisites: None.
Note: Innovation Camp is recommended for younger students.
Technical Skill Set: Introduction to Design Software
Soft Skill Set: Creativity, Problem Solving, Design Thinkers

Program Details:

Maximum 20 students per class
35 hours of coursework
6:1 student-to-instructor ratio
Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 3:30pm
Early drop-off and late pick-up available no extra charge
T-shirts, prizes, and take-home swag
Digital portfolios that include all of their work
Program assessments and graduation certificates

What Students Will Learn:

The fundamentals of starting a business
Critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork
The fundamentals of design thinking
The basics of design software: Canva, Invision, and Sketch.
How to effectively research, design, and build digital products

What Students Will Experience:

Hands-on innovation
Exposure to the variety of opportunities within entrepreneurship and design
Inspirational guest speakers
Skilled and thoughtful leadership
A real-world design challenge

Why This Program:

User experience is about creating a unique experience when a customer uses a product. Today, all of the most innovative companies, such as Airbnb, Google, Starbucks, and Disney, use teams of UX designers to creating the amazing products and engaging services for their customers. It should be no surprise that the UX job market grew over 70% in 2015 alone.

This program combines the art of entrepreneurship with the beauty of design. Using a combination of tools, methods, and frameworks, students solve real-world problems and build upon existing designs to create more functional and enjoyable products. In just one week, students will create an app that solves a real-world business problem or local issue and present their solutions to a panel of respected industry experts.

What our students and their parents had to say:

Renit

Parent, Shopify & T-Shirts 2017

“I am so extremely pleased to have found such an amazing space
for kids to learn about the tech world. As someone who is using but
also learning it’s difficult to teach your child things you aren’t 100%
confident in. Keep up the amazing work. You are making the future
better and brighter for our kids!”

Kris Lynn

Parent, Innovation Camp 2016

“Our son just finished his first week of Startup Skool. When we asked him what he thought of it he said it was 10/10 and way better than he expected. He’s talked all weekend about the “business” and website he created. He was so inspired that on Saturday he spent several hours building a website for his dad’s business as a birthday present. In one week our son was completely engaged in all aspects of the camp and on the last day we had tears in our eyes seeing how much he’d accomplished in the week and the depth of the connection he’d made to the leaders. Big thumbs up Startup Skool and a huge thank you!”

Danielle

Parent, Innovation Camp 2016

“Siena loved this camp and has gained both valuable knowledge and confidence in starting a business! We are very pleased with the outcome. Thank you!”

Clara

Parent, Innovation Camp 2015

“I have registered my son for the summer camp again this year. Last year he had a wonderful time and learned so much from your camp! This is the only one camp that he said he will definitely want to come back next year! I have also recommended this program to 2 of my friends and they have both registered their kids for your programs.”

Christina

Parent, Startup Skool 2015

“Just wanted to let you know my son absolutely loved your camp! I believe it is his favorite camp to date. He told me he loved making money! Your camp has really sparked his interest in business and entrepreneurship. Thank you for creating this exciting camp for kids with real life applications In such a positive learning environment. He is very proud of his accomplishments but he would never have been able to experience this without your guidance. You did a great job in making learning fun!”

Terri

Parent, Innovation Camp 2015

“My daughter had a wonderful experience at your camp. The enthusiasm and presentation styles of all the instructors a big impact on her and has contributed to her wanting to learn more.”

Gerard Beaulieu

Barefoot Innovations LTD

Startup Skool has an excellent program to unlock the creativity and potential of our future innovators. Highly recommended.

Arjun

Student, Age 10

I really liked working as a team. You can share your idea and everyone works together to make it even better. It’s fun when you get to work with friends.

Taylor

Student, Age 14

I’ve had this other idea for a while but didn’t know if it could work. But now that we’ve run a business in class and made a lot of money, I think I’m going to give my idea a try this summer.

Corrine

Parent, Startup Skool Innovation Camp 2015

As a parent, I enjoyed the Dragon’s Den on Friday. I was amazed at the fantastic ideas each kid had, their ability to pitch their ideas, and to then get feedback from the guest “dragons” was awesome.

Colleen

Parent, Innovation Camp 2015

“Both my children loved it. They want to go again. I believe that it helped a couple of females be less intimidated about the technical aspect of modern business. Madelyn was one of them. The program helps me supplement the influence I want on my children. Thank you!”

Please note, Startup Skool Camps will be run by Glenlyon Norfolk School in Victoria, BC.