A summer that changes everything

Canada’s premier pre-university STEAM and entrepreneurship program.
One summer, lifelong impact.

Where big ideas come to life

Shad offers a suite of transformative programs designed to ignite curiosity, build confidence, and prepare students in Grades 10 and 11 to thrive in a fast-changing world.

Through hands-on STEAM learning, real-world challenges, and lifelong friendships, Shad empowers the next generation of leaders to see what’s possible and gives them the confidence to make it happen.

27

Days Immersive Experience

35+

Areas of Discovery

30+

Post-secondary Campuses

1:8

Mentor-to-Student Ratio

Designed for transformation

Every Shad program runs on the same underlying formula, a thoughtfully balanced mix of learning, community, innovation, and exploration. Continually intertwined throughout the month, these four elements create one immersive experience intentionally designed to inspire transformation.

Built for curious minds

Shad’s programs are built around exploration. Learning is organized across five interdisciplinary areas that stretch well beyond traditional subject boundaries. Through lectures, workshops, labs, field experiences, and collaborative challenges, students explore topics that broaden their perspectives, deepen their curiosity, and spark their creativity. While specific topics may vary by campus, the Shad experience stays consistent, anchored in the same Shad formula.

Learning topics may include:

Emerging Fields & Science Frontiers

Capture the knowledge frontier

The scientific disciplines shaping how we understand the living and physical world. This knowledge could include human health, genetics, chemistry, Earth systems, astronomy and the research methods that hold it all together.

Technology, Engineering & Innovation

Decode the tech innovations

The disciplines of making and building, such as artificial intelligence and robotics, software, biomedical and energy engineering, aerospace, creative media, and design that puts real human diversity first.

Society, Culture & the Human Mind

Understand the human context

How humans make meaning, build societies, and understand one another. Explore this across creative arts, psychology, political science, sociology, ethics, and Indigenous knowledge.

Applied Problem Solving & Entrepreneurship

Navigate the business world

Where knowledge becomes action via human-centred design, venture building, business strategy, operations, financial literacy, and data reasoning, anchored by social innovation that measures success as collective good.

Leadership & Future Readiness

Learning to build the future

Get students ready for what’s next. Hone skills such as public speaking, leadership, negotiation, wellbeing, creative confidence, mentorship, and a capstone challenge, with personal growth treated as rigorously as any subject.

Your future starts here

Shad partners with Canada’s post-secondary institutions to deliver immersive learning experiences on campuses from coast to coast. From living in residence and exploring state-of-the-art facilities to connecting with faculty, mentors, and fellow participants, each Shad campus provides a unique setting for the same transformative experience in innovation, entrepreneurship, leadership, and community.

Campus availability may vary each year.
Some institutions will not host a program in 2026.

Your future starts here

Shad partners with Canada’s post-secondary institutions to deliver immersive learning experiences on campuses from coast to coast. From living in residence and exploring state-of-the-art facilities to connecting with faculty, mentors, and fellow participants, each Shad campus provides a unique setting for the same transformative experience in innovation, entrepreneurship, leadership, and community.

Campus availability may vary each year.
Some institutions will not host a program in 2026.

Your future starts here

Shad partners with Canada’s post-secondary institutions to deliver immersive learning experiences on campuses from coast to coast. From living in residence and exploring state-of-the-art facilities to connecting with faculty, mentors, and fellow participants, each Shad campus provides a unique setting for a transformative experience.

Waterloo, Ontario

Montréal, Québec

Vancouver, Colombie-Britannique

Camrose, Alberta

Toronto, Ontario

Halifax, Nouvelle-Écosse

London, Ontario

Calgary, Alberta

Toronto, Ontario

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

Prince George, British Columbia

Fredericton, Nouveau-Brunswick

Lethbridge, Alberta

Kamloops, Colombie-Britannique

Antigonish, Nouvelle-Écosse

Halifax, Nouvelle-Écosse

Regina, Saskatchewan

Red Deer, Alberta

Oshawa, Ontario

Sackville, Nouveau-Brunswick

St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador

Hamilton, Ontario

Winnipeg, Manitoba

Thunder Bay, Ontario

Guelph, Ontario

Ottawa, Ontario

Athabasca, Alberta

Fredericton, Nouveau-Brunswick

Campus availability may vary each year.
Some institutions will not host a program in 2026.

Your Shad, your way

Most Shad participants have experienced the program through our signature Live-In program. Building on this foundation, Shad has expanded its offerings to include four distinctive program pathways that share the same commitment to innovation, community, and personal growth, creating more ways for students to experience Shad.

Live-in Program

Live on campus, build lifelong friendships, and immerse yourself in university life while tackling real-world challenges.

Explore more specialized Live-in experience

Débranché

Disconnect for deeper connection

A+

Where arts and creativity thrive

Francophone

An immersive summer in French

Shad

L'innovation sans frontières. La même expérience Shad transformatrice avec plus de flexibilité et une approche numérique conçue pour le monde d'aujourd'hui.

More than a program

For more than 45 years, Shad has helped future leaders discover new possibilities, build lasting confidence, and develop the skills and connections to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Construire

Confidence to Lead
Through collaborative challenges and shared experiences, Shad develops the confidence, communication, and leadership skills needed to inspire others.

Develop

Entrepreneurial Mindset
Through innovation and design challenges, Shad empowers students to transform ideas into meaningful impact.

Expand

Knowledge Frontiers
From STEAM learning to emerging fields, Shad enables students to explore ideas beyond the high school curriculum.

Explorer

Future Pathways
Shad helps students discover new passions, academic interests, and possibilities for future study and careers.

Make

Lifelong Connections
Shad connects students to a network of peers, mentors, and more than 25,000 alumni across Canada and around the world.

Strengthen

Problem-Solving Skills
Shad equips students with the creativity, critical thinking, and teamwork skills needed to tackle complex challenges.

93%

des participants de Shad

recommandent Shad

91%

des participants de Shad

rapport sur l'amélioration de la pensée critique

86%

des participants de Shad

se sentent mieux équipés pour résoudre des problèmes difficiles

90%

des participants de Shad

affirment que Shad a amélioré leurs capacités de communication

Questions fréquemment posées

Here are various common questions that come up about Shad and our programs:

Programme / Général

Shad offers a suite of immersive programs designed to ignite curiosity, build confidence, and prepare students in Grades 10 and 11 to thrive in a fast-changing world. 

En résidence
Virtuel
A-Plus
Débranché

Live-in / A-Plus / Unplugged : 5 juillet - 31 juillet | 24/7
Virtuel : 6 juillet - 31 juillet | Du lundi au vendredi, 11h00 - 17h00 ET

Le programme Shad Domicilié est hébergé dans nos campus postsecondaires soigneusement sélectionnés et le programme Shad Virtuel est géré par l'Université d'Athabasca.

Apprenez-en plus sur l'expérience Shad Domicilié et l'expérience Shad Virtuel ainsi que sur nos deux options de programme - Débranché et A-Plus.

Le nombre et l'emplacement des campus Shad offrant les programmes A-Plus et Débrnché seront déterminés en fonction de la demande des candidats acceptés.

Bien que nous prenions en considération les options de campus que vous préférez, Shad choisit en fin de compte votre campus afin de promouvoir une expérience pancanadienne pour tous les participants.

Les membres de l'équipe , bien qualifiés, travaillent d'arrache-pied pour s'assurer que tous les aspects de l'expérience - académique, logistique et sociale - répondent ou dépassent les attentes. 

Nombre de ces membres dévoués de l'équipe sont des professeurs d'université de premier plan. Des bénévoles provenant de tous les secteurs de l'université et du milieu des affaires s'ajoutent également au mélange pour créer une expérience dynamique. Tous les membres de l'équipe et les bénévoles souscrivent au code de conduite le plus rigoureux qui soit, tel que défini et maintenu par Shad Canada. 

Non. Les participants à Shad doivent s'engager à participer au programme pendant toute sa durée.

Les élèves qui ont besoin de mesures d'adaptation en raison d'un handicap, de pratiques culturelles ou religieuses ou de tout autre motif protégé par les droits de la personne doivent communiquer avec Shad Canada le plus tôt possible afin de discuter de leurs besoins en matière d'adaptation et de s'assurer que Shad Canada peut répondre à leurs besoins. Il convient de bien réfléchir avant d'accepter l'offre de participation. 

Les demandes peuvent être envoyées à info@shad.ca 

Shad peut donner droit à des crédits d'études secondaires pour les participants de la Saskatchewan, du Manitoba, de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador, de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard et de la Nouvelle-Écosse. L'expérience Shad peut également être considérée comme une expérience en partenariat avec le secteur pour les élèves de la MHS de l'Ontario et répondre aux exigences du CAS pour les élèves du diplôme de l'IB. Les participants au campus virtuel Shadont également la possibilité d'obtenir des diplômes de l'Université d'Athabasca.

Give yourself a summer of exploration and a future of possibilities.

Join Shad2026 Ambassadors Team