Young Minds, Bold Ideas: Greater Milwaukee Urban League launches first AI summer camp

The Greater Milwaukee Urban League celebrated its first-ever AI Summer Camp with a Capstone Presentation event on Thursday, July 16, 2026 at the Neighborhood Room at ThriveOn King, where student scholars showed the community that technology was never really the point — they were.

Over three weeks, students used AI as a tool to tackle real issues in their own neighborhoods — from affordable housing and food insecurity to youth mental health, community violence, and drug use — building capstone platforms like Housing Navigator, Safer Streets, Beyond the Corner, and Education Forward, among others.
“It’s inspiring to see these students draw on their own perspectives and lived experiences to create real change right here in Milwaukee,” said Dr. Eve M. Hall, President/CEO of the Greater Milwaukee Urban League. “This is exactly what mentoring the next generation of leaders looks like — and it’s how we build healthier, stronger communities.”

The afternoon featured a program overview from Brandon Jackson, Founder/CEO of Unorthodox Solutions and the program’s creator and lead facilitator, student booths where guests connected directly with the young innovators, and a certificate ceremony recognizing every AI Bootcamp scholar. Each graduate also received a laptop computer to continue building on what they learned.

One more AI Summer Camp cohort is set to run later this summer, continuing the Urban League’s push to equip Milwaukee youth with both technical skills and a community-first mindset.

The program was made possible through partners Unorthodox Solutions, Nouvelle Marketing, and i.c.stars, along with sponsors AT&T, Enterprise Mobility, Rockwell Automation, and Wisconsin Economic Development.