Embassy in Ottawa Partners with National Inventors Hall of Fame (Canada) to Offer Innovative Program to Children of Frontline Healthcare and EMS Workers

OTTAWA — July 10, 2020 — The U.S. Embassy in Ottawa is providing funding to enable children of frontline Ontario healthcare and EMS workers, pediatric cancer care patients, and other children in need to attend Camp Invention Connect™, a new at-home summer enrichment camp program.

Provided under the Public Diplomacy Grants Program announced by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Canada, U.S. Department of State, this funding will enable 100 children from kindergarten to grade 6 to explore the invention process from home.

“The U.S. Embassy in Ottawa is pleased to support this innovative program and to help it reach deserving kids in Ontario,” said U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Richard M. Mills. “We are proud to partner with NIHF Canada, particularly during these challenging times as the organization inspires Canada’s next generation of STEM leaders.”

A hybrid program featuring both offline activities and optional online sessions led by Ontario educators, Camp Invention Connect enables hands-on exploration by delivering a set of four activity kits, full of exciting materials, directly to each participant. Included in the materials for each camper is their very own robot called LINK, named after National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee Edwin A. Link, inventor of the flight simulator.

This is the second year that the U.S. Embassy has helped inspire future innovators through NIHF Canada’s invention education programs. Last summer, campers in Ontario engaged in hands-on learning activities at Camp Invention™, the program on which Camp Invention Connect is based. Plans are also in place to provide additional programs when students return to the classroom this fall.

“This is a wonderful way to say thank you and to show appreciation to frontline healthcare and EMS workers who have had to sacrifice so much during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Shelley Jones, vice president of NIHF Canada. “This funding will also support some of those most vulnerable who have been particularly impacted by the isolation associated with being at home, including cancer care patients and their families.”

Through its innovative STEM education programs, NIHF Canada features inventors as role models who have changed our world for the better, including Canadians such as Class of 2020 Inductee James McEwen, inventor of the first microprocessor-controlled tourniquet system used in thousands of surgeries each day.

For information about NIHF Canada’s educational programs and to learn more about its new virtual summer camp program, Camp Invention Connect, please visit invent.org/canada/camp-invention-connect and see #CampInvention on social media.

NIHF Canada is inspiring future innovators through programs such as Camp Invention Connect that challenge children in grades K-6 to find their “inner inventor” by learning the process of innovation. Using hands-on activities, Camp Invention promotes STEM learning; builds confidence, leadership, perseverance, resourcefulness and problem-solving skills; and encourages entrepreneurship — in a fun and engaging environment. In the unprecedented times we’re all experiencing, these lessons are even more valuable. Camp Invention was first introduced in Canada last summer with programs held in Ontario.

About Camp Invention

Based on programming developed by the National Inventors Hall of Fame (U.S.) in partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Camp Invention is the only nationally recognized summer program in the U.S. focused on creativity, innovation, real-world problem solving and the spirit of invention. Through hands-on programming, Camp Invention encourages children entering kindergarten through sixth grade to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics curriculum inspired by some of the world’s greatest inventors. Since 1990, these education programs have served more than 1.5 million children, and 170,000 teachers and Leadership Interns in the U.S.