Summer Academy

Grades: 8-11
Registration: will open March 6, 2026, via 4-H Online
Cost: Experience fee is $150

Summer Academy is the Positive Youth Development Institute’s signature career, leadership, & college readiness conference hosted at UW-Madison. The event focuses on preparing young people for higher education in a way that complements formal education prep programs. Summer Academy offers an immersive college experience; participants will experience life in a residence hall, explore campus, and enjoy the unique elements of higher ed that only Madison can offer.

This year’s theme is The Quest; Summer Academy participants will answer the call to adventure across the UW-Madison campus and explore their next steps in their career and college readiness journey! They will choose between exploratory tracks that introduce them to a variety of different Sparks and activities, core tracks that allow them to explore an area of interest in-depth, or an Advanced Art Track where youth will focus deeply on a specific area of arts.