A summer that changes everything

Join Canada’s most exciting pre-university STEAM and entrepreneurship program.
One summer. Life-long Impact.

Où les grandes idées prennent vie

Shad is a transformative month-long program designed to ignite curiosity, build confidence, and prepares students in Grades 10 and 11 to thrive in a fast-changing world. Through hands-on STEAM learning, immersive post-secondary experience, entrepreneurship projects, vibrant community-building, and real-world design challeneges, Shad aims to inspire, connect and supercharge the next generation of changemakers.

45 Years

de l'impact

25K+

Alumni Worldwide

30+

Postsecondary Partners

40+

Active Learning Topics

Built for Curious Minds

Shad’s curriculum is designed to spark curiosity across a wide range of disciplines and emerging fields. Rather than focusing on traditional subject boundaries, learning is organized around five interdisciplinary fields that connect STEAM, entrepreneurship, leadership and personal growth. Learning experiences vary by campus, with each offering a unique mix of topics shaped by its academic strengths, local context, and areas of expertise, providing students with diverse perspectives and opportunities for discovery.

Explore our curriculum

Law, Ethics
& Technology

Digital rights, AI ethics, policy & the societal impact of emerging tech.

The Science of Human Health

Explore the healthcare science, from medicine and anatomy to mental wellness and how we heal.

The Code of Living Things

Decode the science of life at its smallest scale, from DNA and genetics to what shapes every living thing.

The Earth Lab

Step outside the classroom and into the field to discover how the Earth and its living systems
actually work.

Sustainability & Human Impact

Dig into climate, sustainability, and the science of how human choices are reshaping the planet we live on.

Exploring the Universe

Look up and look further. Explore the cosmos through astronomy, planetary science, and traditions of the sky.

Matter, Molecules & Materials

Unlock the hidden logic of matter, from everyday chemistry to the materials shaping the future.

Investigation & Research Methods

Build scientific thinking and evidence-based research skills, while exploring many ways of knowing what we know.

Law, Ethics
& Technology

Digital rights, AI ethics, policy & the societal impact of emerging tech.

AI & Robotics

Engage with AI and robotics as both technology and ethics, learning how machines make decisions and when to question them.

Computational Thinking & Algorithms

Discover that computer science is less about computers and more about decomposing problems and building systems that work.

Design, Build & Iterate

Discover that the most important engineering skill is the willingness to iterate, and that hands know things minds don’t.

Emerging Technology

Get early access to the frontiers reshaping our world, from quantum computing to aerospace and the technologies of tomorrow.

Engineering the Living World

Explore what happens when biology and engineering collide, from biomedical devices to nanotechnology and the ethics that come with both.

Sustainable Energy & Systems

Tackle the systems behind clean energy, sustainable transportation, and what it means to power a community responsibly.

Creative Media & Game Design

Discover digital media as a craft, where every decision shapes how a person experiences what you’ve made.

Design for Community & Diversity

Challenge the assumption that technology is built for an average user, and learn to design for real human diversity.

Law, Ethics
& Technology

Digital rights, AI ethics, policy & the societal impact of emerging tech.

Creative Arts & Expression

Discover art as a different way of thinking, one that reveals what no other mode of inquiry can reach.

Psychology & Human Behaviour

Discover that most of what drives human behaviour is invisible to the person doing it, including your own.

Governance, Policy & Public Life

Discover how policy shapes daily life, and how to understand power well enough to one day use it.

Sociology, Ethics & Justice

Examine how social structures distribute opportunity, visibility, and harm, and the ethical frameworks we use to judge them.

Indigenous Knowledge, Cultures & Future

Experience Indigenous knowledge as living, evolving systems that continue to shape land, community, and our collective future.

Narrative, Language & Communication

Discover that stories are the architecture of belief, and that learning to read them is a transferable skill.

Value, Reasoning & Critical Thinking

Learn to think clearly in the presence of hard questions, where careful reasoning compounds over a lifetime.

Immersive Arts & Cultural Experiences

Discover that some things can only be understood by being inside them, where art becomes environment.

Law, Ethics
& Technology

Digital rights, AI ethics, policy & the societal impact of emerging tech.

Human-Centred Design & Innovation

Discover the design discipline that puts the person before the product, and the problem before the solution.

Entrepreneurship & Building Ventures

Discover that the great ideas that make it are rarely the smartest, but the ones whose founders kept going.

Business Strategy & Market Dynamics

Examine the strategy of organizations: positioning, pricing, and the deeper question of what makes people genuinely care.

Organization, Operations & Project Management

Discover that operational excellence is its own form of creativity, and what separates good ideas from great companies.

Financial Literacy & Economics

Discover that money is a system with rules, and that most people are never actually taught them.

Data Analytics & Mathematical Thinking

Discover that mathematics is not a subject but a lens, and that quantitative thinking clarifies almost everything it touches.

Interdisciplinary Problem Solving

Discover that complex problems don’t respect disciplinary boundaries, and neither do the people best equipped to solve them.

Social Innovation & Community Impact

Explore what entrepreneurship looks like when collective flourishing, not individual gain, is what success actually means.

Law, Ethics
& Technology

Digital rights, AI ethics, policy & the societal impact of emerging tech.

Communicating with Confidence & Impact

Build the presence to be heard, one of the most durable advantages a person can ever develop.

Leadership & Team Dynamics

Discover that leadership reveals itself under pressure, often in ways that surprise even the most prepared person.

Strategic Thinking & Negotiation

Practice making real decisions under real pressure, where the skill is not winning arguments but knowing when to move.

Empathy, Resilience & Self-Awareness

Treat mental health, resilience, and self-awareness as the foundation of high achievement, not the supplement to it.

Creative Confidence & Divergent Thinking

Build creative confidence as a muscle, not a personality type, including the courage to suggest ideas that might not work.

Pathways, Mentorship & Career Exploration

Discover that the most useful career advice rarely comes from a career fair, and what does instead.

Relationships, Community & the Shad Network

Learn to distinguish between performing networking and actually building trust, in a community that shows up for life.

Innovation Challenge & Learning Showcase

Bring everything together by applying it to a real problem, and present what you’ve built to an actual audience.

Your Future Starts Here

Shad partners with more than 30 post-secondary institutions across Canada 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.

Explore our campuses

30+

Partner institutions across Canada

5

Provinces represented

1

Transformative experience

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

Waterloo, Ontario

Montréal, Québec

Vancouver, Colombie-Britannique

Toronto, Ontario

Camrose, Alberta

Halifax, Nouvelle-Écosse

London, Ontario

Calgary, Alberta

Every Shad campus is carefully chosen for its academic excellence, inspiring spaces, and vibrant communities, giving you the environment to explore, create, and grow.

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 expereince Shad.

Explore all programs

1 month

On campus

Explorer

Hands on projects

Experience

Dorm life & community

Campus availability may vary each year.
Some institutions will not host a program in 2006.

Live-in Program

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

Shad

Build resilience, confidence, and community through immersive outdoor experiences and hands-on learning.

Explore Unplugged

Shad A-Plus

Designed for students ready to challenge themselves through deeper exploration, advanced experiences, and greater impact.

Explore A-Plus

Shad French

Perfect your French, expand your perspective, and connect with students from across Canada in an immersive French-language environment.

Explore French

Shad

Join from anywhere in Canada without missing the Shad magic.

Explore Virtual

More than a program

A community that challenges, supports, and inspires you.

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.

Expand Knowledge Frontiers

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

Explore Future Pathways

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

Build Confidence to Lead

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

Strengthen Problem-Solving Skills

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

Build Lifelong Connections

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

Develop an Entrepreneurial Mindset

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

Shad gave me the toolkit and mindest to dream bigger.

The friends I made here are still some of the most important people in my life.

Kento
Shad alum

Foire aux questions

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

Shad propose une série de programmes immersifs conçus pour éveiller la curiosité, renforcer la confiance en soi et préparer les élèves de 10e et 11e année à s'épanouir dans un monde en constante évolution. 

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.

Your future starts with the people you meet along the way.

One month. Lifelong impact.