08/06/2026
🎉 That's a wrap on our 2026 Summer Youth Camps! 🎉
Our Advanced Finishing, Metal Fabrication & Welding Youth Camp wrapped up last week, closing out an incredible summer of hands-on learning, creativity, and fun at the Madison College Fort Atkinson Campus.
A huge thank you to our outstanding instructor, Alec Bromley, for an amazing first year leading the camp! Alec inspired campers with a variety of exciting new projects while encouraging them to think creatively, solve problems, and build confidence in the shop.
Throughout the week, campers tackled two signature projects—a custom toolbox and a personalized decorative log, each uniquely designed by the student who created it. It was amazing to see every camper put their own creative spin on their work while continuing to strengthen their welding and metal fabrication skills.
Campers also received a special behind-the-scenes look at the software our Madison College Metal Fabrication students use to design their capstone projects. A special thank you goes to Roger Bratberg, who returned to volunteer his time and share his knowledge with the campers. Roger has been a dedicated youth camp instructor for many years, and we're grateful he helped give students a glimpse into the design process behind advanced fabrication projects.
As if the week wasn't fun enough, Alec had one final surprise for the campers on the last day—the Minecraft Challenge! ⛏️ After discovering that Minecraft had become the unofficial theme of the week, he challenged campers to design, build, and present a Minecraft-inspired metal project in just two hours for a fun prize. The creativity, teamwork, and imagination on display were incredible, and it was the perfect way to end an unforgettable week.
Programs like this are only possible because of incredible community partnerships. We are so grateful to the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association through SparkForce, The FMA Foundation for helping us inspire the next generation of makers, welders, and fabricators.
We also extend our sincere thanks to Dane Manufacturing andBobcat Company for generously donating their time and scrap metal, giving our campers the opportunity to spark their creativity, build real-world skills, and turn raw materials into works of art.
To all of our campers, instructors, volunteers, families, and community partners—thank you for making another unforgettable summer possible. Watching these young makers grow in confidence, creativity, and skill has been the highlight of our summer, and we can't wait to see what next year brings!
(And yes... you're about to see a lot of photos! 📸 Between the personalized signs, designer logs, and the epic Minecraft Challenge, there were simply too many great moments not to share.)
