FLIGHT (Future Leaders Innovating to Go Higher in Technology)

Come together with other Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) girls and gender-diverse youth around the Caribbean and Canada to solve today’s wicked problems!

FLIGHT, or Future Leaders Innovating to Go Higher in Technology, is a FREE Virtual Summer Camp that offers an introduction to tech entrepreneurship for girls and gender diverse students aged 13-18 who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour.

In this 2-week program, students will work in teams to create a technology-backed business idea around a problem that they identify within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Guest speakers will teach students industry best practices from the design-thinking process — including problem definition, market research, and creating a prototype — and coaches work with teams on each step of their project. At the end of the program, students will pitch their ideas to a panel of judges for feedback and prizes. The program also includes a one-day conference focused on professional development.

FLIGHT Camp participants will:

Get creative! Build a tech business idea to solve a problem in their community.
Get inspired! Learn from professionals in STEM and Innovation as they deliver presentations and coach teams to success.
Get networking! Join a one-day conference all about different pathways and careers into STEM and tech entrepreneurship. Participants FLIGHT Camps will be able to network with one another, creating connections across North America.
Get persuasive! Showcase their final projects, make compelling project pitches, and take home prizes and BRAGGING RIGHTS.

FLIGHT Virtual Summer Camp is organized by Women in Computer Science (WiCS) at the University of Waterloo, BrainSTEM Alliance, and the University of the West Indies. As of 2026, we have been running for five seasons!!!

Participants from the Caribbean and Canada are invited to register for this year’s offerings of our FREE 2-week virtual summer camp!

Register now for this year's offering!

Share this Opportunity with Others!

Download our program marketing materials here -> FLIGHT 2026 Flyers

FLIGHT 2026 Camp Schedule

FLIGHT camp is weekdays from July 20th, 2026 to July 31st, 2026, from 8:00AM - 2:00PM MT/ 10:00AM - 4:00PM ET/11:00AM - 5:00PM AT.

We will be using Google Classroom, Slack and Zoom this year (information will be sent to all registrants before camp begins).

Week 1 (July 20th - July 24th)

2026
1. Jul
  1. Day 1
    
    Welcome To FLIGHT!
    
    AM:
    - Introductions & Onboarding
    PM:
    - Design Thinking Process: Empathizing with Communities
    - Reseraching Best Practices
  2. Day 2
    
    Defining the Problem
    
    AM:
    - Meet Your Team Members
    - Design Thinking Process: Define (Part 1)
    PM:
    - Design Thinking Process: Define (Part 2)
  3. Day 3
    
    Finding Solutions
    
    AM/PM:
    - Design Thinking Process: Ideate
  4. Day 4
    
    Designing Solutions Part 1
    
    AM/PM:
    - Design Thinking Process: Prototyping (Low Fidelity)
  5. Day 5
    
    FLIGHT Mini-Conference
    - Keynote Presentation
    - Careers in STEM Panel
    - Networking
    - Schools & Programs for Tech-Entrepreneurship
    - & More

Week 2 (July 27th - July 31st)

2026
1. Jul
  1. Day 6
    
    Designing Solutions Part 2
    
    AM/PM:
    - Design Thinking Process: Prototyping (Medium Fidelity)
    - Design Thinking Process: Test
  2. Day 7
    
    Marketing & Design
    
    AM:
    - Designing Posters
    PM:
    - Graphic Design and Creating a Brand
  3. Day 8
    
    Pitching Your Project!
    
    AM:
    - How to Pitch Workshop
    PM:
    - "First Thought, Best Thought" Pitches
  4. Day 9
    
    Finishing Touches!
    
    AM/PM:
    - Team Time with Coaches
    - Finishing up prototypes, posters, and presentations
    - Preparing for the Showcase/Pitch Competition
  5. Day 10
    
    Showcase Day!
    
    Teams will pitch their project to a panel of judges! Prizes will be awarded to the top-scoring projects, and everyone will receive a certificate of completion for the FLIGHT program.

Get Involved!

We are looking for community partners interested in being Mentors, Speakers, Coaches, and Judges!

Community Partner Opportunities

There are four ways you can volunteer on the FLIGHT Crew to support our camp and engage with participants. You can even pick more than one role!

Navigators (Guest Speakers)
Air Traffic Controllers (Coaches)
Customs (Judges)
Conference Speakers/ Panellists/ or MC! (Pilots)

As a volunteer, you will have the chance to network with professionals in the entrepreneurship and tech spaces in an unconventional setting. You can contribute to social change by making a tangible impact working with youth from underrepresented groups, widening your perspective on key issues affecting society and developing the next generation of STEM and entrepreneurial leaders.