Community · June 23, 2026
Summer Youth Camps Fill a Record 1,284 Seats, With Waitlists for Robotics and Scrubs Camp
Thirty-four camps run between June 15 and August 7, and 210 seats are covered by scholarships for Porter Falls district students.
Registration for UW–Porter Falls summer youth camps closed at a record 1,284 campers, up from 1,052 last summer and nearly double the 2019 total. The 34 camps, taught by Porter faculty and staffed by about 90 current students, run from June 15 to August 7 in the same labs, shops and studios Porter students use during the year.
Four camps reached waitlists within a week of registration opening in March:
- Robotics I and II (grades 7–12), held in the engineering labs, with a 41-name waitlist
- Scrubs Camp (grades 9–12), a three-day health careers program in the simulation hospital, where campers take vitals, practice CPR and deliver a (simulated) baby
- Game Design Studio (grades 8–12)
- Weld Like a Pro (grades 10–12), added in 2025 and doubled to two sessions this year
Overnight camps house about 300 campers across the summer in Birchwood Suites. Youth sports camps run by Ironclad coaches account for another 430 of the total.
Scholarships and access
Thanks to a local foundation grant and Giving Day gifts, 210 seats are covered by full scholarships for students in the Porter Falls Area and Cedar Bluff school districts, up from 140 last year. The camps office also added a free Porter Loop shuttle pickup at the Porter Falls Public Library for day campers without a ride.
“A ninth grader who spends three days in the sim hospital or the weld shop goes home knowing something about herself she did not know on Monday. Our job is to make sure the price and the ride are never the reason she does not come.”
— Tessa Quam, director of youth programs
All counselors complete background checks and youth-protection training under the minors on campus policy. Families can join waitlists or browse year-round options, including STEM Saturdays, on the youth camps and programs page. Groups interested in renting campus space for their own camps should see summer camps and conferences.
Contact: Office of University Communications, news@uwporterfalls.edu
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. The camps, enrollments, scholarships and that simulated baby are invented; there is no waitlist to join.