Since 2012, Camp What If (CWI) has been the go-to summer program for middle schoolers to deep-dive into their city. Middle schoolers visit a broad range of organizations, speak with community leaders, and explore what makes their city tick.
After Camp What If, here’s what campers can do…
90%
confidently collaborate with adults and other campers
86%
learn to research real problems in the real world
94%
use their creativity and critical thinking to solve problems
85%
confidently present their ideas to adults and community members
Camp What If Schedule
While every day is different camp, this will give you an idea of the flow.
During the first four days, we spend time getting to know each other, exploring the community, and talking to community leaders.
After the weekend, campers come back for three days and we switch to ideation. Campers take all their learnings from last week, dive into Design Thinking, and come up with ideas to help the community thrive.
The two-week camp concludes with a Community Ideation Celebration, where campers pitch their ideas to engaged community members.
Every day includes lunch from a local restaurant and plenty of snacks to keep our energy up!
Monday
Day 1: Ponder!
Campers ponder the challenges in their community by making connections between their initial ideas, their lived experiences, and the needs of their community. Activities are centered around empathy and introducing the idea that middle schoolers have a role in helping the community thrive.
Tuesday
Day 2: Explore!
We expand our view of the community by interviewing community experts, going on community-wide scavenger hunts, and analyzing community statistics and stories. Campers learn how to ask open-ended questions, analyze data, and document their observations.
Wednesday
Day 3: Define!
Campers apply critical thinking skills as they reflect on their observations and insights from their community explorations to define the needs and challenges they want to tackle.
Thursday
Day 4: Ideate!
Discussions start with ideation where no idea is shut down! Campers have the opportunity to generate their own ideas and collaborate with their friends to improve their ideas.
Monday
Day 5: Create!
Campers divvy up into teams to start creating the prototype plan for their idea! As a team, they evaluate their idea to be sure it’s needed and wanted, new and better, and able to become real.
Tuesday
Day 6: Create! (yes, another whole day!)
Campers spend the day finalizing their prototypes and planning their pitches.
Wednesday
Day 7: Pilot! (and celebrate!)
Camper teams are ready to pitch their ideas to a real audience of invested community members! At our closing Community Ideation Celebration, parents, community members, and organizations are invited to hear campers pitch their ideas, give feedback, and help plan next steps!
Want to register for Camp What If?
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