Frequently Asked Questions

Amilia is our new registration platform. You will use Amilia to register your child(ren) for camp or other Outreach programs, manage your account, and update personal, medical, and emergency information.

Create your Amilia parent account here. 

1. Visit the Amilia Login page and select log in the top right corner of the screen. 
2. Create an account.
3. Follow the prompts to enter your personal information.
4. Once complete, you’ll be redirected to the Western Engineering Outreach store. You can register for programs directly from the store.

You can add children before registration opens or during registration.

Option A: Add Children Before Registration Opens (Recommended)

1. Log in to your Amilia account.
2. Click your name in the top-right corner and select My Account.
3. Select the People tab from the left-hand menu.
4. Click Add a person → Under 18 years old.
5. Enter all required information for each child.

Please note: You will be prompted to add in other information about your child, such as emergency contacts and medical information, during check out. However, rest assured that once you have added a program to your cart, your spot is secure for 20 minutes to give you time to complete all necessary information.

Option B: Add Children During Registration

1. From the Western Engineering Outreach store, select a program and camp week.
2. Choose the appropriate age group and click Register for session. Please select the age group based on the grade your child will be entering in Fall 2026.
3. Click + Add another person to create your child’s profile.
4. Repeat for additional children.

Important: Please complete all fields when adding your child. 

1. Log in and click Home in the left-hand menu.
2. Select the Western Engineering Outreach store.
3. Choose the camp program and camp week(s) you’d like. Register each child in the correct age group (based on the grade they’re going into as of September 2026).
4. Add Extended Care, if needed, for each child and each week.
5. Proceed to View Cart or Checkout and follow the prompts.

Note: Once a camp week is added to your cart, it is held for 20 minutes. After this time, the spot will be released and you’ll need to start again.

During the summer months, students and campers are grouped based on the  grade that they will be entering in the fall  succeeding that summer. For example: if your camper is in Grade 2 at the time of registration, then they will be entering Grade 3 in the fall and therefore should register for the Grade 2 to 3 group for summer camp.

Important Note: Our Discovery Western Summer Camp is open to children age 4 and up. 

Extended Care must be added at the time of registration for each camp week.

To add Extended Care:

1. Select the camp week you wish to register for.
2. During the registration process, you will be prompted to add Extended Care (optional).
3. Choose the Extended Care option that best fits your needs.

Please note that Extended Care must be selected separately and repeatedly for each child and each camp week.

Don’t worry! If there is capacity, we can add your child(ren) to extended care. Please reach out to discover@uwo.ca with the following information included in your email:

1. Child’s full name 
2. Week theme and week date that you are requesting to add extended care to
3. Type of extended care you would like to add (Before care and/or After care)
4. We’ll include next steps in a follow up email for additional payment

Camp spots are temporarily held for 20 minutes after being added to your cart. If checkout is not completed within that time, the spot will be released.

Yes! Simply select the week(s) you are interested in registering your child(ren) in. If capacity is full, there will be an option to add your child(ren) to the waitlist for that specific camp week.

When you add your child(ren) to the waitlist, the system will put you in a queue. When a spot opens up, the system will send an email to the first person on the waitlist. We provide a 24-hour window for you to claim the spot, and if the spot goes unclaimed, the system will continue to go down the waitlist queue until the spot has been filled.

You are provided a 24-hour window to claim your registration spot. If this opportunity is missed, your opportunity is forfeited and you lose your spot in the queue. You can add your child back onto the waitlist the same way you did before in the system.

Click on the shopping cart in the top right corner to continue to the payment screen.

If you have already pre-saved a card before adding a program you will need to give Western Engineering Outreach permission to use your credit card. 

1. Log in and go to My Account → Wallet.
2. Select the credit card you would like to use for this purchase. 
3. Under Authorization select Western Engineering Outreach. 
4. Return back to your cart and proceed with checkout and payment. 

1. Log in and go to My Account → Purchases.
2. Select the invoice number you would like to view.
3. Select View  → View/ Print Original.

We’re here to help! Please call our office at 519-661-2111 extension 88826 or email us at discover@uwo.ca for further assistance.

Throughout the summer there will be a variety of camp weeks that will have groups reserved for girls. Our “Just for Girls” weeks allow girls to explore engineering in a place where they can be themselves and where they can meet women in STEM and allies. “Just for Girls” weeks will feature additional activities that highlight all the amazing accomplishments of female scientists and engineers. As part of our all-girls programming, Western Engineering Outreach welcomes gender-diverse youth, including but not limited to cis girls, trans girls, non-binary youth, gender non-conforming youth and gender queer youth.

Western Engineering Summer Academy (WESA) is a program for youth in Grades 7 to 12. At WESA, youth will participate in hands-on science and engineering activities and challenges, tour campus, and meet engineering faculty and staff.It’s an opportunity for youth to explore engineering and post-secondary studies here at Western.  Western Engineering Staff are mindful of the experience and prior knowledge WESA participants bring to camp and regularly check in with participants throughout the week. Activities are designed and selected to be appropriate for a range of grades and are flexible based on the grade of the participant. WESA participants are supervised by senior camp staff at all times to support their participation and engagement.

1. Log in to Amilia.
2. Click your name in the top-right corner and select My Account.
3. Select People from the left-hand menu.
4. Click Add a person → Under 18 years old.
5. Complete all required fields.
6. To make changes after the start of camp, please contact our office directly at discover@uwo.ca. 

Important: Please complete all fields when adding your child. Information can be edited later, but all sections must be filled out at this stage.

1. Log in to Amilia.
2. Click your name and select My Account.
3. Navigate to the People tab.
4. Select Add a person → Over 18 years old.
5. Enter the adult’s information

Once submitted, the date of birth can't be changed by the user. To update it, please reach out to discover@uwo.ca with the following information included in your email:

1. Child’s full name 
2. Child’s correct birth date in the format of month-date-year (Example: January 1, 2020)
3. We’ll include next steps in a follow-up email

Please follow these steps to update your camper information after registration and prior to the start of camp:

1. Log in and go to My Account → People.
2. Select the child’s profile you wish to edit.
3. Select the Other Information section.
4. Under Extra Questions, select Edit
5. Update your camper information/emergency contact information
6. Click Save (green button near the top of the page).
7. To make changes after the start of camp, please contact our office directly at discover@uwo.ca. 

We’re here to help! Please contact us a week or two prior to your campers start date if you have any questions about their friend request as we are unable to make changes to camp classes/grouping after a program has begun. Please see our Friend and Grouping Requests Policy. Each child may request one friend of the same age group to be in their camp class. While we do our best to accommodate requests, we unfortunately cannot guarantee friend requests. We recommend families coordinate with each other before registration.

1. Log in and go to My Account → People.
2. Select the child’s profile you wish to edit.
3. Select the Other Information section.
4. Under Extra Questions, select Edit
5. Update your friend request.
6. Click Save (green button near the top of the page).

IMPORTANT: If you are registering your child for multiple weeks of camp and if you have friend requests for each week, please list each friend’s name followed by the applicable week. For example, “Friend 1 (Week 1), Friend 2 (Week 2).” If you are updating friend requests after registration, please note that any changes you make will apply to all programs so please ensure all names and weeks are listed as we will not have access to previously entered information that you have removed.  You can review the friend requests in your account at any time to ensure all names and weeks are accurate as this is the information we will see when creating camp groups:

If you are registering your child for multiple weeks of camp and if you have friend requests for each week, please list each friend’s name followed by the applicable week. For example, “Friend 1 (Week 1), Friend 2 (Week 2).”

You also have the option of updating friend requests from your account after registration. Please note that any changes you make will carry forward to future camp weeks so please ensure all names and weeks are listed as we will not have access to previously entered information that you have removed. You can review the friend requests in your account at any time to ensure all names and weeks are accurate as this is the information we will see when creating camp groups:

1. Log in and go to My Account → People.
2. Select the child’s profile you wish to edits.
3. Select the Other Information section.
4. Select Extra Questions.
5. View your friend requests. Ensure all names and weeks are listed as this is the information we will see when creating camp groups.

Please follow these steps to update your camper information after registration and prior to the start of camp:

1. Log in and go to My Account → People.
2. Select the child’s profile you wish to edit.
3. Select the Other Information section.
4. Under Extra Questions, select Edit
5. Update your friend request.
6. Click Save (green button near the top of the page).
7. To make changes after the start of camp, please contact our office directly at discover@uwo.ca. 

Note: Any updates made to the authorized pick up list will automatically populate for any future camp weeks your child(ren) are registered in. Authorized pick up will only be updated for the children listed in the email, if you have multiple children with the same update needed, please be sure to include this. 

While our camp staff review all information provided by parents/guardians, please contact our office directly to discuss your camper’s particular situation, or with any questions or additional information you wish to share, to will help us make your camper’s summer a memorable and positive experience. Please follow these steps to update your camper information after registration and prior to the start of camp:

1. Log in and go to My Account → People.
2. Select the child’s profile you wish to edit.
3. Select the Other Information section.
4. Under Extra Questions, select Edit
5. Update your friend request.
6. Click Save (green button near the top of the page).
7. To make changes after the start of camp, please contact our office directly at discover@uwo.ca. 

Note: Any updates made to the medical information or inclusion information will automatically populate for any future camp weeks your child(ren) are registered in. 

Before cancelling, please review our Cancellation Policy here.

To cancel: email us at discover@uwo.ca and please provide the following information: 

1. Child’s full name
2. Week date that your child is currently registered in
3. Extended care type (before and / or after) that you want included in the cancellation
4. We will follow up with next steps

1. Log in to Amilia 
2. Navigate to the Billing page 
3. You will see an amount owing
4. Select Make a Payment
5. In outstanding invoices, select the invoice with the balance owing 
6. The amount will autopopulate. Select the payment type and proceed to make payment. 
7. You can view all your transactions in the invoice section of the amilia registration system.
8. You will have 5 business days, or up to the start of your camp week, to pay your balance to confirm your spot.

An administrator will facilitate a refund. In most cases, your refund will be issued to your original payment method. We will send an email confirmation once this refund is complete. You can view all of your transactions in the invoice section of the Amilia registration system

If you cancelled a camp week at least 14 days before the start date, you will receive 80% of your money back on your original payment method. If you cancelled a camp week less than 14 days before the start date, you will not receive any refund. You can review our cancellation policy on our Policies and Procedures page.

In most cases, yes. However, we may need to process some refunds by cheque depending on your particular situation. 

1. Log in and go to My Account → Purchases.
2. Select the invoice number you would like to view.
3. Select View  → View/ Print Original.

If there is capacity, we can transfer your child(ren) to a different camp week. Please reach out to discover@uwo.ca with the following information included in your email:

1. Child’s full name
2. Week date that your child is currently registered
3. Week theme and week date that you want to move your child to
4. Extended care type (before and / or after) that you want included in the transfer
5. If needed, we’ll include next steps in a follow up email for additional payment or partial refund (depending on the type of transfer that is facilitated)

If your camper requires medication to be taken throughout the day at camp, please note that camp staff are not trained or authorized to administer medication of any kind with the exception of life threatening emergencies (e.g., an anaphylactic reaction). All other medications must be taken by the camper independently or parents / guardians must make arrangements to return to the camp to oversee the administration of medicines.

If your camper will require medication to be taken at camp, a Medication Intake Form must be filled out and signed before drop off. Please complete the Medication Intake Form and bring on your first day of camp. All medications must be in original containers and contain dosage information. Epi-pens, asthma inhalers, etc. are carried by the camper or the camper’s counselor.

Medication Intake Form

While Discovery Western is a nut-aware camp, we make use of shared spaces on campus and cannot guarantee that all spaces are completely free of any allergens. We ask that all parents/caregivers ensure that food items are nut- and peanut-free, however, we do not monitor compliance of this and do not search campers’ lunches.

Some of our camp activities use household materials. Common allergens that may be present in some activity materials include wheat/gluten, eggs/dairy and latex (as examples, using spaghetti noodles in a civil engineering structures activity, building a wind-powered elevator using milk cartoons or baking soda powered bottle rockets). Please contact us at discover@uwo.ca with any questions, to confirm which supplies may be used during your selected program and to discuss potential alternatives.

If your camper requires an epi-pens, please complete the Medication Intake Form and bring on your first day of camp along with an Anaphylaxis Emergency Form with an attached photo of your camper. Epi-pens are carried by the camper or the camper’s counselor as per the Anaphylaxis Emergency Form.

Medication Intake Form

At Discovery Western we believe that science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) is for everyone! The main goal of our camp is that our campers have fun! While we want our campers to learn something new through hands-on learning, we also want them to have fun and have the opportunity to explore science and engineering in a place where they can be themselves. Our camp blends favourite camp games and activities with science and engineering.  Our science and engineering activities provide an opportunity for our campers to use technology, computers, special equipment and everyday items you can find around your house.  We aim to show kids that everyone can be a scientist or engineer; no special equipment or prior experience required!

A sample camp day includes: 

• icebreakers and get-to-know-you games
• two nutrition breaks with a designated lunch break
• hands-on science and engineering activities
• crafts, games or other activities to reinforce the weekly themes and daily STEM learning
• physical activity and time to move whether it’s a walk, body break, swim time or camp game
• special events such as tours of on-campus locations or time to meet with an engineer

At Discovery Western Summer Camp, we believe STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is for everyone! We’re here to make STEM interesting, relevant and hands-on. Our team of experienced educators, outreach specialists and STEM professionals work together to design engaging learning experiences that spark curiosity, build confidence and help every camper feel welcomed and inspired in STEM. Our camp is all about fun, discovery and growth.

Our campers will grow their “engineering tool kit” as they learn to think and problem-solve like engineers. Through interactive activities that grow with them, campers will explore STEM while practicing important skills that all engineers need to thrive. These skills include problem solving, communication and teamwork. Every Discovery Western activity is carefully designed to meet kids where they are, ensuring that learning is accessible and fun.

Our youngest campers in SK to Grade 1 will dive into activities that engage their concrete thinking style and early literacy and numeracy skills. They will experience play-based activities that connect to the world around them. Sample camp activities for this age group include building strong structures, doing pre-coding activities using shapes and colors and creating art based on their STEM observations.

Our older campers in Grades 2 to 6 will explore engineering through activities that reflect their deeper processing skills while still prioritizing fun, hands-on and experiential learning. Sample camp activities for these age groups include team-based engineering design challenges, exploring circuits using breadboards, building models to represent real things and block coding with Scratch and Micro:bits. Some activities use household materials for prototyping, highlighting how STEM is all around us and introducing how real-life engineers make low fidelity designs out of everyday materials as an important step in the engineering design process. Other activities will introduce equipment, tools and samples that are new and exciting while still being appropriate for use by campers their age.

Our activities are designed with accessibility as a key factor so that any camper can participate. Our activities are flexible so campers can start simple or engage in deep exploration. Regardless of their approach or background knowledge, campers get to participate at their own pace and have fun! This low floor/ high ceiling approach ensures that activities are accessible to all learners, with no prior experience required. Every child can get started with confidence and ease, and those with more background knowledge have the opportunity to extend their learning to the maximum of their skills and imagination. The sky is the limit with open-ended extensions and challenges!

Whether your child is just starting to explore STEM or is already tinkering and thinking like an engineer, they’ll find a place at Discovery Western Summer Camp to learn, create, and grow in STEM in a way that differs from a traditional school environment.

At Discovery Western we believe that science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) is for everyone! The main goal of our camp is that our campers have fun! While we want our campers to learn something new through hands-on learning, we also want them to have fun and have the opportunity to explore science and engineering in a place where they can be themselves. More information about our camp content can be found in our  camp themes .  Our activities are suitable for those with no prior experience.

We offer a variety of themed content options throughout the summer so that your child can attend multiple weeks of camp. However, please note the content repeats for camps that are listed with the same theme for the same age group – for example: two weeks of Grade 4 to 6 camp with the theme of “space” will have the same content, even if they run on different dates.

Western Engineering Outreach follows the guidance of the Ontario Camps Association and uses the following ratios:

- SK to Grade 1: a ratio of 1:6

- Grade 2 to 6: a ratio of 1:8

- Grade 7 to 12: a ratio of 1:10 to 1:15

As per the Ontario Camp Association, our team uses good judgment in determining an appropriate camper-to-instructor ratio for each activity and program. Fewer instructors may be acceptable in controlled environments (e.g., low risk activities within an enclosed indoor space), whereas more instructors may be recommended for more technical activities.

Our Outreach Instructors are dynamic, diverse and engaging secondary and post-secondary students currently enrolled in STEM studies or related fields who are hired to deliver programming in the community and on campus. We believe that our emphasis on hiring current students is highly effective at helping our program participants build their skills, grow their confidence in STEM and connect with relatable role models who are excited to share their love of STEM. Many of our instructors are former Outreach program participants!

Western Engineering Outreach has a staff team of 25+ individuals, the majority of whom are currently secondary and post-secondary students who are excited to share their love of STEM! All instructors participate in mandatory training sessions, submit a Vulnerable Sector Check, and have a First Aid & CPR Level C certificate.

Safety is our top priority. Our instructor training program includes emergency preparedness, sign in and sign out plus head count/attendance procedures, incident reporting, activity safety, camper confidentiality, and safe pedestrian transit protocols among many other safety-focused training topics. Our training also includes classroom management techniques, effective teaching strategies, behavior management, conflict resolution, gender equity, anti-racism, and inclusion and accessibility awareness. We often have returning staff who are able to bring a wealth of knowledge from previous years as well as serve as mentors to our new staff.

Our Discovery Western Summer Camp (for Senior Kindergarten to Grade 6) is open to campers age 4 and up. 

During the summer months,  students and campers are grouped based on the grade they’re going into   in the Fall. For example: A camper may be in Grade 2 at the time of registration, but by the time camp starts in the summer, they will have finished Grade 2 and will be going into Grade 3. Therefore, they should register for the Grade 2 to 3 summer camp group.

Our Western Engineering Summer Academy is held on Western University’s campus.

More information about drop-off and pick-up locations as well as parking information will be shared ahead of camp.

Campus Map

Discovery Western Camp (for Senior Kindergarten to Grade 6) costs between $275 and $325 per week. Before and after care is available for $25 each. Please pay online using a credit card during registration.

The Western Engineering Summer Academy (for Grades 7 to 12) is $350 a week.

Unfortunately, we are not able to offer a lunch program.  Parents/guardians are asked to send a nut-free lunch and snacks along with a reusable water bottle. Discovery Western is a nut-aware camp – please ensure that all lunch and snack items are peanut and nut free.

Discovery Western has a limited number of bursaries available each year to support the participation of those who would otherwise be unable to take part in camp. Information about our bursaries can be found  here .

Visit our Bursary Information page to learn about eligibility and how to apply for a bursary.

If your bursary request is approved, Western Engineering Outreach will contact you by email with instructions on how to apply it to your registration.

Other than their imaginations, campers will need to bring a few additional items including:

• Lunch and snacks for their nutrition breaks to carry them through days of fun hands-on engineering activities!
• Sunscreen
• A reusable water bottle
• Running shoes and sneakers are preferred for camp 

It is important to note that campers will not be permitted to buy their lunches at cafeterias, shops, etc.

Discovery Western is a nut-aware camp, so please bring a lunch and snacks that are peanut- and nut-free.ts

Please dress for the weather as we will be spending time outside as well as walking to our other on-campus locations for tours.

Please label all items.

In order to have a fun and safe learning environment, we ask that  you do not bring :

• Cell phones
• Cameras
• iPods/iPads
• Video games
• Playing/trading cards
• Toys
• Matches/lighters
• PEANUT/NUT products.

We are not responsible for lost, broken, or stolen items.