Education
Shaping future innovators across Atlantic Canada
Feb 14, 2025
(photo includes members of the Atlantic Canada Community Board, two Brilliant Labs team members and youth participants of Brilliant Labs STEAM camps)
*James’ mother couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw him teaching members of our TELUS Atlantic Canada Community Board how to use complex technology. This shy boy, as described by his mother, from St. John's, Newfoundland (pictured above, wearing glasses) transformed during his time at Brilliant Labs’ STEAM Camp (science, technology, engineering, agriculture and mathematics). The free tech-based summer program hadn't just taught him about coding and robotics, it unleashed a confidence and passion for learning his mother had never seen before.
"The day the camp ended, James was devastated," she recalls. "He'd found his place – where curiosity and creativity could flourish."
Brilliant Labs, an Atlantic Canadian charity operating in 80 locations across four provinces, makes stories like James’ possible. Through their STEAM Camps, youth learn about AI, coding, and robotics using tools like the
b.Board
, a Canadian open-source prototyping platform. Children and youth have used this technology to create everything from musical instruments
to citizen science experiments
, bringing their imaginative ideas to life. 
With the help of a TELUS Atlantic Canada Community Board grant funded by TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, Brilliant Labs is poised to expand their reach to benefit 8,000 youth and advance the recruitment of post-secondary Indigenous students as STEAM mentors. Together, we’re creating a friendlier future where young people in Canada have equitable access to the resources they need to thrive.
James’ story is just one example of how we're nurturing the next generation of innovators. As one of over 500 charitable programs supported by TELUS Community Boards in 2024, Brilliant Labs is helping turn today's curious minds into tomorrow's leaders.
For James, the end of summer camp wasn't really an ending at all – it was just the beginning of his journey as a young innovator. For thousands more like him across Atlantic Canada, that journey starts with a single spark of inspiration at a Brilliant Labs STEAM Camp.
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. *James (name changed for privacy)
