Best Buy Canada's Geek Squad Academy is hosting a free youth tech camp right here in Toronto and it's a great opportunity to get youth involved in some summertime fun.

The Back to School with Best Buy Canada Youth Tech Day is happening at the Toronto Reference Library on Saturday, August 19 and it's a perfect opportunity for youth — aged 10 to 16 — who want to learn more about the engaging world of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).

With hands-on learning, product demonstrations and even product giveaways, Youth Tech Day is jam-packed with educational fun.

Here's a glimpse of the four classes kids will be able to experience as they get excited about back to school in Toronto! 

Robotics

It’s robot fun time! Kiddos will be able to learn the basics of coding and programming to produce a "robot letter," robotic shapes, and even drive through a maze. Hello, future engineers!

This is a fan-favourite workshop where youth apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to complete challenges and use basic commands to maneuver a robot.

Digital Music

Grab a tablet and make a song with the Digital Music program. Youth will be able to let their creativity fly as they create their own music and even record it on a tablet using the renowned digital audio workstation GarageBand.

Featuring instruction and hands-on experiences, kids will collaborate to create and edit multi-track songs. 

Squishy Circuits

It's as fun as it sounds! Squishy circuits allow youth to build an electric circuit with a few basic items — including playdough, to make things extra squishy. 

Participants will walk away with a better understanding of how electric circuits work after creating their own versions.

Game Break with Godot

What's better than gaming? How about exploring and playing with the development side of things?

That's exactly what students can experience in this workshop where they'll be able to use coding to fix a video game error and then play it.

There are two sessions available at the Back to School with Best Buy Canada Youth Tech Day (pre-registration is required); session one from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and session two from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. 

Update: This event has officially sold out! 

Luckily, if you were not able to register for this now-sold-out event, you can always drop in to experience some free hands-on activities. Drop-in attendees are welcome from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and visitors can engage with activities and content creation 101 with Canadian content creators.

This Youth Tech Day is part of Best Buy Canada's greater social impact commitments, where connecting children to technology and other community-driven activities is the priority.

Best Buy Canada also offers school tech grants and scholarships through partnerships with organizations like BGC Canada.

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And to get readers excited, Best Buy Canada is hosting a special contest. If you're registering for this year's Youth Tech Day, tag a friend on blogTO's Instagram contest post, for a chance to win a Microsoft Surface from Best Buy Canada on behalf of Microsoft Canada. The winner must be registered and able to attend the event on August 19 to claim the prize. The contest ends on August 11.

Attendees also have the chance to win a $100 Best Buy gift card at the event. Just use the hashtag #BestBuyCanadaTechDay in your social content while you're there. Winners will be chosen every hour and social media profiles must be made public to be eligible.

Head over to Best Buy Canada's Geek Squad Academy website to learn more about Youth Tech Day on August 19, 2023, register for the activities, and learn more about their social impact.