West Virginia (WOAY) Registration is now open for GEAR UP SWV’s 2026 Summer Camps, offering students across Mercer, Monroe, Summers, Raleigh, and Wyoming Counties free, hands-on opportunities to explore careers and prepare for life after high school.
Students can choose from several camps this summer, including Vital Path- Healthcare on June 2 and 3 at New River Community and Technical College’s Beaver Campus, with an optional CPR certification.
Trade-focused camps like Groundbreakers, an introduction to heavy machinery, and Sewing with Fire, a welding camp, will be held June 8 and 9 at the college’s Ghent Campus.
Students can also attend Adventure Camp June eleventh and twelfth, the overnight Concord Cool Academy at Concord University June 16-19, Beautiful U! Cosmetology Camp June 24 and 25, and the GEAR UP SWV and WVU Tech STEM Camp June 29 through July 1 in Beckley.
Program Director Doctor Sheila Barnhart Womack says the camps help remove financial barriers and give students opportunities to explore future careers.
Students may also be able to receive financial help through the Gear Up Southern West Virginia Summer Camp Grant Program, which can cover up to five hundred dollars toward approved camps.
Applications for that grant are also open now and run through May 22.
For more information or to register, visit the GEAR UP SWV website.
