When a Grade 8 student in rural Saskatchewan wonders whether local water quality is changing, or a high school student in Nunavut wants to test how traditional building materials compare to modern alternatives, Youth Science Canada ensures they can pursue those questions and be taken seriously as researchers. For 60 years, that’s been our mission.

Today, March 28, 2026, Youth Science Canada marks the 60th anniversary of its incorporation as a national organization dedicated to supporting young Canadians in pursuing their scientific curiosity. Since March 28, 1966, YSC has grown from coordinating regional science fairs into a comprehensive national infrastructure that engages over 10,000 students annually in sustained, project-based STEM learning.

“For six decades, Youth Science Canada has operated on a simple but powerful belief: when young people have the inspiration, resources, and opportunities to engage their curiosity, they develop the skills and confidence to shape Canada’s future,” said Reni Barlow, Executive Director of Youth Science Canada.

Built by volunteers, for students

YSC occupies a unique role in Canada’s STEM education ecosystem. While many organizations spark initial curiosity through classroom presentations, camps, and other outreach activities, YSC focuses on students who want to go deeper. Through its National STEM Fair Network, mySTEMspace platform, Smarter Science educator resources, and the purpleSTEMwave community, we guide young people through weeks, months, sometimes years, of original research, helping them investigate questions and problems they genuinely care about.

“The STEM project experience is formative not just because of the science students learn,” says Reni. “It’s formative because of what the process demands: asking better questions, sitting with uncertainty, communicating findings to real audiences, and developing confidence in their own capacity to contribute meaningful work.”

That work happens because of one of Canada’s most significant grassroots STEM infrastructures: YSC’s network of 97 affiliated regional STEM fairs, operated by approximately 8,000 volunteers in every province and territory. From St. John’s to Victoria, from Windsor to Tuktoyaktuk, local educators, scientists, and community members create spaces where any student can conduct original research and present findings to authentic audiences.

What access really means

For many participants, especially those in rural, remote, northern, and underserved communities, regional fairs provide access to experiences that would otherwise be impossible. YSC’s community-based model ensures that a student’s postal code doesn’t determine whether they can pursue a question or problem that matters to them.

That commitment to access extends beyond in-person fairs. mySTEMspace, YSC’s free online platform, has helped over 13,000 young Canadians explore project ideas and access research resources. Meanwhile, the purpleSTEMwave, a movement of young Canadians who refuse to accept “that’s just how it is” as an answer, invites students into a community where they share ideas, seek feedback, and find their people.

Six decades of impact

The impact is measurable and lasting. Research within YSC’s community shows that 88% of recent Canada-Wide Science Fair finalists report that their STEM project experience fundamentally influenced their thinking about future education and career plans. Top students and projects advance from regional fairs to the CWSF, Canada’s premier national youth STEM competition held annually since 1962. The most exceptional go on to represent Canada at international competitions as part of Team Canada.

Alumni from across six decades have gone on to careers in medicine, engineering, law, public policy, entrepreneurship, and beyond, consistently crediting the skills developed through STEM fair participation as foundational to how they approach challenges, whatever field they ultimately chose.

Terry Allen has witnessed that community from the inside for longer than most. He joined Calgary’s science fair committee in the early 1960s, before YSC was even incorporated, and has never stopped. Read his story and you’ll find the same thing that draws people to this work again and again: the connections. “The Canada-Wide Science Fair has become a place to meld students together,” he says. “You go to the science fair, and here’s a kid from Newfoundland talking to a kid from Alberta or BC or Saskatchewan, doing the same kinds of work. To me, that’s amazing.” Read Terry’s story.

In the weeks ahead, we’ll be sharing more stories from the community that built this organization. Subscribe to The STEM Journey to have them delivered to your inbox.

The next 60 years

As Canada faces a well-documented STEM skills gap and growing inequality in access to quality STEM education, YSC’s community-based model addresses a critical need: providing depth and sustained engagement, not just exposure. Our programs have shown that when students are supported through rigorous, self-directed inquiry, trusted to ask hard questions, and given the resources to pursue answers, they grow into confident, capable thinkers.

“The vision that built Youth Science Canada 60 years ago, the volunteer-run regional fair network, remains the foundation of everything we do today,” says Reni. “As we look to the next 60 years, our focus is on strengthening that foundation, developing sustainability, and ensuring every young Canadian can access the transformative experience of scientific inquiry.”

This May, 400 student finalists will gather in Edmonton for the Canada-Wide Science Fair. Six decades in, the work looks the same as it always has: a student, a question, and the support of a community to pursue it.

Sixty years in, and we’re still at it. If you’d like to help us bring 400 young scientists to Edmonton this May, we’d be grateful for your support. Make a gift today.