(Red Deer Polytechnic/Supplied)

By rdnewsNOW staff

Serving community

RDP youth camp participants build potato planters for Food Bank

Jul 19, 2025 | 10:00 AM

A youth camp at Red Deer Polytechnic called “Building Skills for Tomorrow” built potato planter boxes to donate to the Red Deer Food Bank.

The camp, which took place on RDP’s main campus from July 7-11, is one of a variety of summer camps offered to youth in the community. They’re designed to help young central Albertans develop practical skills and have fun.

The Building Skills for Tomorrow camp had 11 youth take part aged 12 to 18 construct planters to not only serve the community but also learn a skilled trade.

“I was excited to be part of this camp,” says David Flynn, RDP Carpenter instructor and camp lead. “It had an element of philanthropy while touching on renewable food sources and providing an introduction to carpentry. With Alberta experiencing a shortage of skilled trades workers, hopefully this camp helps to entice the younger generation to pursue a career in the skilled trades.”

(Red Deer Polytechnic/Supplied)

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The participants learned real world skills using hand and power tools and solved construction challenges with their peers.

In addition to Flynn, students also learned from guest instructors from CANA Construction and Eagle Builders. As a result, many of the youth made major strides in skill development and showed plenty of enthusiasm.

“The participants learned about design, scaling size and how to safely use a variety of tools, including a mitre saw, table saw, router, drill and hand tools,” Flynn added. “They also learned how to use SketchUp— an online drafting program that is used in RDP’s apprenticeships.”

The larger potato planters were donated to the Food Bank but the students also built and kept smaller planter boxes to take home.

The camp was made possible through a partnership between RDP, Red Deer Construction Association, BILD Central Alberta, Red Deer District Chamber and CAREERS.

The materials were donated by Home Hardware who also provided food for the celebratory barbecue held on the final day of camp.

As a member of Central Alberta Collegiate Institute (CACI), RDP collaborates with school districts and post-secondary partners to offer middle and high school students dual credit programs and apprenticeship-ready experiences. This includes Red Deer Public School District, Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools, Wolf Creek Public Schools, Chinooks Edge School Division, Olds College of Agriculture & Technology and CAREERS.

Some of the the summer camps RDP offers includes a variety of interests such as art, creative writing, dance, sports, and music.