Beam Center Youth Programs
Beam Center empowers young people through spectacular, collaborative, hands-on projects in woodworking, fabrication, circuitry, textiles, and public art. Youth start with a credit-bearing Apprenticeship, then move into paid jobs where they help run Beam’s programs for other youth.
Apprenticeship (credit): a 54-hour, credit-bearing work-readiness program for high school students from Beam’s partner schools, ages 15–24. Apprentices meet twice a week to build themed projects and learn technical skills (woodworking, circuitry), leadership, career exploration, and how to plan and lead activities for others.
Paid “Enterprises” (for Apprenticeship graduates):
- Project Leaders: design and lead STEAM projects for younger students at schools, after-school programs, street fairs, and festivals
- Project Production: help fabricate Beam’s large-scale community public artworks
- Externships: paid work placements at creative and technical organizations (many supported by SYEP)
- Beam Camp City youth staff: paid summer roles facilitating the NYC day camp for six weeks
Summer camps:
- Beam Camp (Strafford, NH): sleepaway camp focused on large-scale project making. 2027: 4-week session July 6 – August 1 for ages 11–17 ($6,900), or 2-week session July 6–18 for ages 9–15 ($3,450). Tiered tuition and 550+ full and partial scholarships have been awarded. 2027 camper applications are open.
- Beam Camp City (Red Hook and Governors Island): week-long day camp sessions for ages 8–15, August 9 – September 3, 2027
Eligibility:
- Apprenticeship: high school students at Beam partner schools, ages 15–24
- Enterprises: graduates of the Apprenticeship and other Beam-connected youth
- Camps: by age, as listed above
How to apply: ask your school whether it partners with Beam for the Apprenticeship, or see each program’s page on Beam Center’s website. Camp applications are on the Beam Camp page.