Potato Planters with Purpose: RDP Campers Help Tackle Food Insecurity

Jul 17, 2025
Students are assisted by an RDP instructor as they build a potato planter

Students are assisted by an instructor as they build a potato planter. 

While the variety of 2025 summer camps at Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) are designed to help central Alberta youth develop practical skills and have fun, one unique camp has gone a step further—sparking interest in the skilled trades while addressing a social need. 

Held from July 7-11 on RDP’s main campus, the Building Skills for Tomorrow camp welcomed 11 youth aged 12 to 18 for a hands-on project with lasting social impact. Participants constructed potato planter boxes—each measuring four feet by two feet by two feet—for donation to the Red Deer Food Bank, connecting learning with community service.  

“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.”

Beyond creating social impact, camp participants acquired real-world skills using hand and power tools safely, collaborating with peers and solving construction challenges. 

“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,” adds Flynn. “They also learned how to use SketchUp—an online drafting program that is used in RDP’s apprenticeships.”

Guest instructors from CANA Construction and Eagle Builders joined Flynn in mentoring the youth, creating an encouraging environment. Under their guidance, many of the youth flourished in skill development, displaying enthusiasm for the project and carpentry.

“Some campers were really skilled at carpentry,” notes Flynn. “Hopefully there are some future RDP apprentices among the group.”

While the larger potato planters were donated to the Red Deer Food Bank, the participants also built and kept a smaller potato planter box—a tangible reminder of their skills and contributions.

This camp came to fruition through a partnership between RDP, Red Deer Construction Association, BILD Central Alberta, Red Deer District Chamber and CAREERS. Home Hardware generously donated materials and provided food for the celebratory barbecue held on the final day of camp. 

The Building Skills for Tomorrow camp reflects RDP’s broader commitment to youth education and workforce development. With 17 apprenticeship programs, RDP is well positioned to inspire future tradespeople through engaging experiences and world-class instruction. 

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. 

The CACI partners include 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, a not-for-profit organization that collaborates with schools to connect youth with employers, providing valuable paid internship opportunities. To support these initiatives and enhance learning environments, the Polytechnic is currently upgrading several facilities and spaces, including those tailored for CACI students. 

In addition to the trades camp, Red Deer Polytechnic offers a wide range of youth summer camps that appeal to a variety of interests—from art and creative writing to dance, sports and music—ensuring every learner has the opportunity to explore, grow and potentially find a career path.

Explore the full list of RDP summer camps.

Media Inquiries

Communications Team
Phone: 403.342.3389

Email Us

Related News

A large group of diverse high school students pose in a long corridor of windows
RDP & Shad Canada Sign MOU to Empower the Leaders of Tomorrow
Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) has become the first polytechnic to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Shad Canada, a summer enrichment program for high-achieving high school students, to advance STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math). “We are very excited to partner with Shad Canada and provide grade 10 and 11 high school students with immersive post-secondary opportunities to foster collaboration and innovation on our campus,” says Lindsay Engel, Vice President, Academic and Student Experience, Red Deer Polytechnic. “These unique experiences will help inspire the next generation of leaders to pursue careers in STEAM, contributing to the economic and social development of Alberta and Canada.” This partnership creates opportunities for at least 80 talented high school students annually to join the competitive Shad Program held every July at RDP. During this month-long experience, participants will engage in hands-on activities that foster creativity, problem solving and teamwork. Central to this five-year MOU is the emphasis on collaborating and leveraging diverse perspectives to accentuate learning. High school students from various backgrounds will have the opportunity to work in design teams, forge meaningful connections and tackle real-world economic and social challenges through innovative STEAM-based solutions. The Shad Program offers an array of
Welding medal winners at 2025 Skills Canada National Championship
RDP Apprentices Continue to Excel at 2025 Skills Canada National Competition
Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) apprentices continue to showcase their industry-leading expertise on the national stage, earning gold in six of the past seven years in welding, and sixth place in sprinkler systems installer. At the 2025 Skills Canada National Competition, held May 29 and 30 in Regina, Saskatchewan, RDP Welding apprentice Lucas Stang earned gold, earning a coveted spot at the 2026 WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai, China. His victory extends RDP’s impressive track record in welding, with apprentices from the Polytechnic clinching national gold in six of the past seven years—a clear testament to the program’s prominence in Canada. Stang was trained by Lee Yasinski, RDP Welding Instructor. Adam Moore, an RDP Sprinkler Systems Installer apprentice, also made his mark at the national level, ranking sixth. Adam was mentored by Chris McCloskey, Polytechnic Sprinkler Systems Installer Instructor. “We are incredibly proud of Lucas and Adam for representing RDP well at the Skills Canada Alberta Competition,” says David Pye, Dean of the School of Trades and Technology at Red Deer Polytechnic. “They exemplify the success that comes from collaboration between instructors, staff and industry partners, which helps create dynamic education and training opportunities. As Alberta’s third-largest provider of skilled trades education
A woman in a red hoodie sits in an art studio. She is sketching a picture of Ray Charles using a pencil
The Art of Revival, Creating Community 
Elevating visual arts through creative connections during summer art workshops tradition. Somewhere between a blank canvas and the final brushstroke lives a quiet transformation. Sometimes it begins with the sound of charcoal on paper, the warmth of sunlight through tall windows or simply showing up to try. It happens in studios where the air is thick with turpentine, stories and shared silence. In spaces like these, time slows. Something shifts. And without fanfare, a person begins to remember who they are when they create. For Laurel Corbiere, that moment arrived under the soft hum of fluorescent lights in a Red Deer Polytechnic studio, the smell of paint and possibility mingling in the air. “I unlocked something I wasn’t sure I still had,” she said. “Drawing again renewed my confidence.” Laurel was one of nearly 300 artists who joined Red Deer Polytechnic’s Series Summer Art Workshops last year. The program is more than just painting and pottery. It is a reclamation of something deeply human: the joy of making, the vulnerability of learning and the rare luxury of spending uninterrupted days inside a studio, hands covered in clay, glass, graphite or ink. And while this revival is powerful, it is also