The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the summer plans of people around the world, but budding designers and architects can count on at least one thing: the Daniels Faculty's summer programming for kids and young adults will still be happening this year, in an online-only format.

Participants will be able to take part in fun and educational activities that teach the fundamentals of design and architecture, with professional instruction and one-on-one feedback — all without leaving their homes.

The Daniels Faculty offers two types of summer programming: the Daniels Summer Academy and the Daniels Bootcamp.

The Daniels Summer Academy consists of a pair of summer camps for kids.

In the Summer Academy's Daniels Minecraft Camp, children aged 8 to 14 will use the popular video game as a fun and accessible means of learning design and collaboration skills. Instructors will work with campers online, using the Minecraft software and other internet-based platforms, to build virtual structures as a team.

In the Summer Academy's Daniels Digital Design Camp, children aged 12 to 14 will use videoconferencing software to work online with expert instructors on a design project for a real-world client: the Kensington Market Business Improvement Area, an organization that represents business owners in one of downtown Toronto's most vibrant neighbourhoods. Campers will collectively design an object for use in the neighbourhood's public space.

The Daniels Bootcamp, meanwhile, is for an older crowd: high school students and university undergraduates who wish to increase their knowledge of architecture and design.

In the bootcamp, participants will attend online lectures by practicing architects and professors, take virtual field trips, and receive one-on-one feedback on their design work. The program is an opportunity to experience the intense studio culture that characterizes most design education, while building a portfolio of work that can be used to supplement a university admissions application.

For more information about the Daniels Faculty's summer programming, or to sign up, visit the "Outreach" section of our website.

Image: A model of the Daniels Building, created in Minecraft by Doris Wu.