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Summer Academy
June 16-19, 2025
Join us on the UW-Madison Campus for Summer Academy, June 16-19, 2025. This Positive Youth Development program will help you discover pathways to your future. Signup to learn what it takes to have a career, or a hobby in several SPARK areas including agriculture, STEM, service, leadership, arts, trades, and many more. There will be fun opportunities to build networks and friendships with folks from all over the state of WI.
Program Details
Summer Academy will be held at the UW-Madison Campus, where youth and adult chaperones will stay at Sellery Residence hall. Youth will be participating in a wide variety of track-based activities and seminars. They will be able to visit different locations on Campus and in Madison. They will also have the opportunity to hear from speakers, watch a performance from the 4-H Drama Company, and participate in a variety of fun hands-on activities!
Registration
Youth currently in grades 8-11 will be able to register for Summer Academy when registration is open from March 17-April 27, 2025. The registration will be done in 4HOnline. You can find the registration by going to your youth’s profile and clicking on the events tab in 4HOnline. The event will be called “Summer Academy”. Each youth will select an educational track when registering, which will determine which seminars and activities they participate in.
Check out the full list of track offerings below!
If your youth is already enrolled in 4HOnline, you can find instructions on how to register for the event here.
If your youth is not already enrolled in 4HOnline, you can find instructions on how to create a profile and register for the event here.
Paper enrollment forms are available here: https://4h.extension.wisc.edu/4h-resources/youth-enrollment-paper-form/.
2025 Track Descriptions
Agriculture & Animal Sciences: Explore agriculture and animal sciences with facility tours and hands-on experiences in dairy, livestock, meat science, food science, veterinary science, plants, and more.
Baking & Decorating: Learn the basics (reading a recipe, scaling ingredients, evaluating for doneness, decorating) while gaining confidence that leads to self-sufficiency while exploring career opportunities in baking and decorating.
Civic Engagement Through Local Leadership and Community Design: Our track will help you reimagine your community and work to develop a plan that can build the community you want to be a part of now into the future. We want you to be able to not just imagine yourself in local leadership but provide tools so you can make it happen.
Performing Arts: Get creative while developing your performance skill through sessions in disciplines like Theater, Dance and Music.
Skilled Construction Trades: Explore a rewarding career in the skilled construction trades with this hands-on educational opportunity! Participants will gain experience in carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work through interactive activities led by industry professionals. Participants will also learn about registered apprenticeship programs, the most common form of training in the skilled trades industry. Don’t miss your chance to build, wire, and plumb your way to new opportunities!
The Transportation Experience: Be ready to experience a transportation career while working with technical college staff and industry professionals to practice industry repairs and experience the transportation industry with some fun competition along the way. You will explore the various systems with hands-on activities including creating electrical circuits, using power tools (and a variety of other tools) to disassemble and reassemble components, and learn about components of a variety of vehicles.
Visual Arts: Exploring the depths of what it means to be an Artist: Youth will work with artists to develop their creative skills and build a deeper understanding of some of the applications of art as a critical part of any culture.
The Water Quest: Explore how researchers study the health of Wisconsin waterways using analytical methods and observation. Be introduced to invasive species detection methods, understand the importance of healthy waterways and be exposed to careers in the field.
Participant Website
You can find all the information you need for Summer Academy on the participant site! This includes information about Campus, the tracks, the program, and more. The 2025 Summer Academy participant website will be sent to all participants after they register.
Cost
The registration fee for Summer Academy is $600 per youth. This cost covers registration, lodging, meals, transportation, and all other costs for our youth participants.
A portion of the cost of this program is supported by the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation and a generous donor, who helped to reduce extra transportation costs to Summer Academy. We graciously thank these donors for their contributions to Summer Academy!
State Scholarships are available for youth who participate in Summer Academy. State scholarships are awarded to help reduce the cost of the program for participants. The State Scholarship application is included as part of the 4HOnline registration and are due when registration closes.
Transportation
Bus transportation will be provided statewide for youth participants for Summer Academy. When registering, you will be able to see a selection of bus routes and pickup locations that you can choose from. Bus schedules may be adjusted depending on where youth are located in the state.
The bus options are:
- Bus 1 – (Northeast: Antigo/Crandon, Wausau areas)
- Bus 2 – (Northwest: Spooner, Eau Claire, Black River Falls areas)
- Bus 3 – (Southwest: La Crosse, Plateville, Dodgeville areas)
- Bus 4 – (Southeast: Green Bay, Milwaukee, Janesville areas)
Adult Advisors
4-H Volunteers are invited to apply to be Summer Academy Adult Advisors now through March 15th. Adult advisors will help create a safe, welcoming environment for our youth during Summer Academy on the UW-Madison Campus.
Young Adult Leaders: We are also recruiting for the Young Adult Leader role. This position is geared toward college students, 4-H alum, and young professionals with a preferred age of 19-25. This role will work closely with adult advisors to support our youth participants while also partnering with youth leaders to deliver educational content. A stipend will be available for this role. Please promote on behalf of our team using the Young Adult Leader position description. Interested applicants can apply using the Wisconsin 4-H: Statewide Educational Experiences, Adult Advisor Application.
These volunteers will have the opportunity to fill several key roles during our week in Madison, including:
- Lead Floor Advisor
- Dorm Monitor
- Theater/Assembly Monitor
- Pedestrian Safety
- Recreation Supervisor
Additional application information is available here: https://4h.extension.wisc.edu/opportunities/statewide-events-and-opportunities/adult-advisors/.
Trainings, as well as an on-site orientation, are a vital part of being an Adult Advisor for this program. Additional training requirements will be posted soon.
2024 Recap Video
This program is supported by the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation. For more information please go to www.Wis4HFoundation.org.
Thank you to ATC for sponsoring Summer Academy!
