Summer Camps
2026 Registration OPENS:
PORTLAND CAMPS:
- Tuesday February 10 @ 10:00 PM
ALL OTHER CAMPS:
- Wednesday February 11 @ 9:00 AM
Our camps can sell out fast so we recommend having a look at the ticketing and registration process before registration opens.
Camps Dates
Camps will be posted here in January.
What Happens When You Put Tools in the Hands of Girls?
Girls 8 - 15 years old attended camp for one week, Monday - Friday, from 8:30am - 4:30pm. Included in their days, and their camp fees, are both breakfast and lunch. Campers attend two workshops in the morning, as well as in the afternoon. Interspersed throughout the day are icebreakers and team bonding games, so girls can get to know each other, and build together better.
Campers are split into crews of 10. Each crew is led by two instructors at any given time, and campers are given their own safety glasses and ear protection to take home.
NOTE: SummerWorks Intern Program is on hold. Please email us if you are 16-24 and interested in interning at summer camp.
LOCATIONS
All camps are held outside. Specific location details will be given to registered campers closer to camp dates. We do not advertise our locations publicly. Please check your email if you have registered in order to receive exact location directions.
Note: Portland camps are not held at our Warehouse.
IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT ATTENDANCE
Campers cannot miss the first day of camp. Not only is it the day we do safety and tool training, but also they will start projects that they will then build on and use the rest of the week. We have so much packed into camp that they won't be able to catch up on those projects. Unfortunately, with the tools we're using and the level of safety we need, it's not something they can prepare for at home.
Workshops
Over the course of each week, girls attend four 80-minute workshops per day. Sometimes they build one project in those 80 minutes, like the sheet metal lamp pictured here, and some projects they work on everyday, like a skateboard or chess set, learning the value of planning and patience with a new skill and project.
In this photo, campers show off the sheet metal lamps they bent, punched and riveted, and an example of the clocks they made from hardwoods, inlaid with plugs, sanded, waxed and oiled.
One Big Project
Each week participants build, in addition to smaller projects, one big project together, in groups of 10. Projects, like playhouses and chicken coops, are then donated to local nonprofits.
In this photo, a camper is cutting out the window openings with a sawzall.
Guest Instructors
Here at Girls Build®, we have amazing staff instructors whose expertise runs the gamut, from professional tradeswomen, to professional educators. Nevertheless, we like to bring in professionals from other trades as well, and this year we had visiting electricians, roofers, solar installers, sheet metal workers, water maintenance workers, tree trimmers, and more!