Founded in 2016, The Knowledge Society (TKS) is a 10-month accelerator program for curious and ambitious teens between the ages of 13 to 17. Through project-based learning and real-world skill building, TKS trains young people to solve the world’s biggest problems using emerging technologies.
TKS runs in-person programs in Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa, as well as a Global Virtual Program.
Students are placed in groups of 30-40 people. Every week there is a three-hour intensive session taught by people with a lot of real-world experience. Some topics students explore are AI, Blockchain, Nanotech, Genomics, Quantum Computing, Stem Cells, Robotics and Space Tech.
Students are expected to spend 10-15 hours outside the sessions working on projects, meeting leaders in the community, and building relationships with each other. The projects can become starting points for science fairs, businesses or academic research.
TKS students have also worked with companies like Airbnb, Microsoft, Walmart, Wealthsimple, and Interac on some of their top business priorities.
The optional second-year program is called Activate, which goes deeper into the foundational skillsets and knowledge developed in the first-year Innovate program. Students put the technologies they learned in the Innovate program to tackle the world’s biggest problems.
On August 18, TKS held a summer event detailing how two TKS alumni placed at the International Science and Engineering Fair this year. They talked about their winning projects, how they came up with their projects and the behind-the-scenes of the ISEF competition.
How I placed at the International Science and Engineering Fair 🥇🧫