Summer of Making: A Remote Program for Teen Builders
With schools and community maker spaces closed, internships canceled, and quarantine limiting options, students are looking for ways to stay connected and keep building. Hack Club is answering with Summer of Making, a remote summer program for teenagers interested in hardware and software projects.
The program is open globally to students aged 13–18 and costs nothing to join. It runs for six weeks starting in early July. Hardware is shipped directly to participants' homes on an as-needed basis, with funding from GitHub and prototyping support from Adafruit and Arduino. Industry mentors provide guidance throughout the program, and participants get to showcase their finished projects at the end of the summer.
Summer of Making was organized by teenagers from Hack Club, a network of student-led after-school computer clubs. All participants will have access to the broader Hack Club community, which includes:
- A network of more than 400 Hack Club chapters across 22 countries
- Free access to developer tools through the Student Developer Pack
- Funding for hardware as needed
- Prototyping tools and support from Adafruit and Arduino
- Mentorship from industry professionals
Possible projects range from Arduino-powered robots to open source games. Applications open on June 18th, with pre-registration available now.
Pre-register for Summer of Making
Calling Industry Mentors
The program is also looking for industry professionals to mentor participants. Mentors meet with a student for half an hour each week over six weeks, helping them stay on track with their project, offering feedback, and providing technical guidance when needed. Engineers and project managers alike are encouraged to apply.
For many students, the value extends beyond the projects. "By joining the Hack Club community online, I’ve made friends with other high schoolers who share similar interests," said Sam Poder, a 15-year-old organizing the program from Singapore. "We’ve built projects together, discussed topics we’re passionate about and had loads of fun! In the community around me I have always struggled to find people who share similar interests. Finding an online community full of people who do has changed my life."
Mentorship applications are open now.
