FAQs

Each location's camp schedule can be found on our Offsite Camps page or linked here closer to when camps registration launches in late February.

Go to a specific camp on Active (our registration system), add to the shopping cart, and click continue.

You do not need to create an account before registration day, as it will prompt you to do so during checkout.

Geering Up programming is designed and intended for individual participants, not groups. Having a group (local or visiting) register for our programming greatly impacts the quality of the individual participant's experience; something that is extremely important to us. As such, group registrations are prohibited.

Please note that Geering Up will withdraw all participants without a refund who are found in breach of the group registration policy at any point before or after programming begins.

Please register your camper in the grade that they will be going into in the fall of 2025.

For example, if your child is currently in Grade 3, and will be going into Grade 4 in September 2025, then you should register them for grade 4 camps.

We strongly discourage signing up your child into a camp that does not fit their grade level going into September 2025, as we tailor our camps to be most engaging to their grade level.

We strongly discourage signing up your child into a camp that does not fit their grade level going into September 2025, as we tailor our camps to be most engaging to their grade level.

Girls* and women* bring value and diversity to STEM, and through providing a girl*-focused space, we encourage and inspire the next generation of women* in STEM.

Geering Up holds All Girls* Camps every summer to encourage girls* to discover and explore their love of science and engineering. All Girls* Camps offer the same activities as their co-ed counterparts in a girl*-focused space.

*We use the words “girls” and “women” with an asterisk (*) to intentionally include students and community partners who are underrepresented in STEM fields. Cis girls/women and trans, genderqueer, or non-binary people are welcome at our All Girls* programming. For more information, visit our All Girls* page.

At Geering Up, we strive to make our programs accessible to all youth and we are happy to accept youth with exceptionalities.

Our registration forms provide space for you to give additional details about your child's unique circumstances in order for our team to provide them with a great week at camp. Once your registration is submitted, our team will review your child's details and may reach out to discuss how to best support them in our programs.

If your child has a support worker that they need to accompany them to camp, please contact geering.up@ubc.ca to discuss details. Advanced notice is needed so that we can obtain a Criminal Record Check for any non-GU personnel who will be present in camps.

We do! Geering Up strives to make STEM accessible for all. Each year, we give out bursaries to help families subsidize registration costs.

Bursary applications open at the same time as our Summer Camps. To apply for a bursary, please visit our bursary information page.

Yes, we do at our UBC Vancouver location! When you register for UBC Vancouver camps you can choose to purchase the lunch program.

Campers receive a main course, side, and drink for their lunch each day. For summer 2025, this will now include Fridays as we will no longer be doing Pizza Fridays.

We can accommodate most dietary restrictions and allergies with our lunch program.

We do allow campers in our High School Programs (Grades 8 - 12) to have the option to sign themselves out during lunch.

You must select “Lunch Release” during registration or when you sign your camper in on the first day so that they can be allowed to do this.

Yes we do at our UBC Vancouver and UBCO Kelowna locations!

We have before care that runs from 8:15 AM to 9:00 AM, and after care that runs from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM. We also offer extended after care at UBC Vancouver only, which runs for an additional hour, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

When you register, you can add these extra purchases.

Unfortunately, Geering Up will no longer be offering Overnight Camp Programs. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Unfortunately, Geering Up will not be offering online camps this year. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Yes! We have recess and an outdoor lunch every day. In cases where weather is bad (heavy rain, extreme heat, air quality advisories), the Geering Up team will opt for an indoor lunch break to prioritize the health and safety of our staff and campers.

Yes, we do run the same curriculum every week, but we offer a variety of camps at each level.

For example, if you sign up for STEM explorations in week 5 and Maker in week 6, you would get different activities in those two camp themes.

Each camp of the same theme is the exact same curriculum week to week though, so you do not want to double register in those- For example, do not register the same child in both Maker week 5 and Maker week 6.

We don’t send out our daily camp schedules before camp, but we do email parents with an update about what activities campers did during camp. We have descriptions of all our camps on our website that can give you an idea of what type of activities your camper may be taking part in.

We are all about hands-on learning in our Summer Camps! We love to do building challenges and conduct science experiments. Even in our Coding Camps, we incorporate engineering challenges and robotics, and circuitry projects.

Our Creative Coders and Computers & Me camps will spend most of their time on block coding programs like Scratch or MakeCode. In these programs they drag blocks of code together to create a script. Campers get to learn all about computer programming logic without having to worry about typing and spelling!

In our Creative 6-7 Coders camps, campers will be introduced to a typed form of coding, either JavaScript or Python.

No previous coding experience is necessary for any of our elementary coding camps!

YWe strive to make Geering Up’s programs accessible to all youth, and we are happy to accept youth of all backgrounds and abilities.

Our registration forms provide space for additional details about your child's unique needs to help our team facilitate a great week at camp. Our team will review the registration details and may contact you to further discuss how best to support your child.

We are excited to have your child attend. Please reach out to geering.up@ubc.ca with any questions or concerns.

There is absolutely NO tolerance of emotional, physical, verbal, or sexual abuse, bullying, or harassment at any Geering Up programs. There is also no tolerance of fighting, physical violence, threat of physical violence, possession or use of weapons (including using materials as weapons), or any actions or behaviours that threaten the safety of the participant or others.

We understand that this may impact some children’s participation in our camps. While we support all campers to the best of our abilities, we have to ensure that our camps are a safe space for all learners. Geering Up reserves the right to remove campers who cannot abide by our program policies. We do not take this decision lightly and will only do so when we have exhausted all other strategies and resources.

If your child would benefit from easing into a camp environment with higher level support, we highly recommend the services of Kubo Family & Learning Centre and Canucks Autism Network.

Our summer camps mirror a traditional classroom environment in terms of setup (seating, lighting, projectors, and whiteboards).

The capacity in our camps depends on location and theme, but typically a grade 1-7 camp has 18-23 campers, and a high school camp has 20-27. Camps can get noisy by nature, given that they often involve group challenges and games. We aim to balance learning and fun, and so our camps are far less structured than a typical school environment.

By default, our camps:

• Take brain breaks and avoid lecture-heavy lessons
• Have a recess (elementary only) and lunch break (elementary & high school) each day where we go outside, if weather permits
• Have our Junior Instructor volunteers assisting campers during activities

If your camper has sensory-related concerns, please let us know in your registration form what supports we can implement to help. Feel free to call or email us if you wish to inquire more in depth.

All staff receive training on the necessary tools and resources to support participants with exceptionalities. Furthermore, at our Vancouver, Richmond, and South Surrey locations, we have trained Integration Support staff that help provide extra support for children who benefit from it. One-on-one support may also be available at select locations but is determined heavily by the support needs and available staffing week-to-week.

While all our staff strive to provide the best camp experience for all campers, please be advised that our staff,—including our Integration Support staff—are not certified education assistants or behaviour interventionalists.

If your child requires a support worker to accompany them to camp, we are happy to have them! After registering, please contact geering.up@ubc.ca to discuss details, as advanced notice is required to obtain a Criminal Record Check for any non-Geering Up personnel who will be present in camps. Support workers are expected to abide by the guidance and policies of UBC Geering Up personnel.

Yes. Our larger locations such as Vancouver, Richmond and South Surrey have more staff, and the presence of Integration Support staff, which provides higher capacity to support campers with diverse needs. We cannot guarantee the same level of support at our smaller locations like Coquitlam. If you have questions or concerns, please contact geering.up@ubc.ca.