Camp Kala Teen Studio: Digital Photography
Kala Art Institute in Berkeley runs Camp Kala, a summer arts program with week-long small-group sessions; its Teen Studio: Digital Photography session teaches teens ages 11-17 digital photography fundamentals and techniques in a hands-on studio setting. The 2026 camp runs weekly sessions from June through early August, with reduced tuition and financial assistance available.
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Mosaic Journalism Workshop
Mosaic is a free youth journalism training program based at San Jose State University serving greater San Jose area high school and community college students. It runs an intensive two-week summer workshop covering reporting, writing, photography, videography, and podcasting, plus paid fall/spring internships and boot camps for student newspaper staff.
High School Marine Biology Course (Marine Science Institute, Redwood City)
A hands-on, a-g approved semester-long marine biology course for grades 9-12 held weekly at the Marine Science Institute in Redwood City. Students study ocean environments, waves and tides, and marine organisms through labs and a field trip to a local creek and rocky shore.
Immerse Education Software Development & AI Summer Programme (Bay Area)
A one-week overnight coding and AI summer program hosted at UC Berkeley for students ages 15-18, covering programming fundamentals, algorithms, data structures, applied AI, and game design, with career-skills sessions and one-on-one coaching from industry professionals. The program emphasizes exposure to Silicon Valley's tech and gaming industries alongside hands-on coding projects.
NSLC Engineering Summer Program
The National Student Leadership Conference's Engineering program is a residential pre-college experience (offered at UC Berkeley among other U.S. campuses) where high schoolers explore civil, mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering through hands-on projects such as drone design, aquatic robotics, and wind turbines.
Sacramento State Summer Youth Academies - Engineering Track
Sacramento State's College of Continuing Education runs week-long Summer Youth Academies for students entering grades 7-12, including an engineering-focused track taught by campus faculty and industry professionals combining hands-on projects with career exploration.
SummerCulinary San Francisco Cooking Camp for Teens
A residential and day culinary camp held on the San Francisco State University campus where teens ages 12-17 train in professional kitchens under working chefs, covering knife skills, savory cooking, plating, and artisan baking in a curriculum modeled on culinary school tracks. The program includes evening excursions exploring San Francisco's food and neighborhood culture.