Global Scholar stands out from other summer programs serving high school students in many ways:

We focus on building global leaders who have both the knowledge and the skills to make our world a better place. Many programs just offer coursework. We go beyond the classroom to offer leadership and action training and inspire students to put their new skills into action through our ongoing work on global issues. We spent about half of our time learning from experts, offices and institutions.

Our popular Action Lab workshops give you advanced training you won’t get anywhere else, focusing on: Systems Thinking and Complex Problem-Solving; Dialogue and Conflict Resolution; Strategic Action Planning; Activating your Story, Values and Vision; and Ethical Decision Making.

We offer unique and unparalleled space and community. Nowhere else will Scholars be exposed to the brightest young minds thinking about global issues in a “can-do” way. Scholars develop real projects or actions during Daily Challenges and a Final Project, which they actually launch during the program. They can apply for small funding to continue this work after the program, too.

Global Scholar is part of a broader youth movement of concerned, young global citizens. The experience extends way beyond the session; participants enter a family of student leaders affecting change on their campuses and in their communities. Over 100,000 youth have participated in our programs since we were founded by students at Yale after 9/11, and our alumni have gone on to lead student organizations; work for international organizations, the UN, the State Department and more; participate in prestigious gap year and language programs; and enroll at top institutions like Harvard, Columbia, Yale and the University of Chicago. Most importantly, they’ve developed a good sense of how they can have an impact on issues they care about, and launched their careers with a firm sense of purpose and strong set of skills to succeed.

We’re affordable. We’re run by a national student organization, and we charge just enough to cover our costs. You’ll find that our programs are significantly less expensive than comparable summer programs. This isn’t a business for us; we’re not out to charge students and their families exorbitant fees to participate. Rather, we see this program as our contribution to empowering a generation to build a better world. We offer a Pay-What-You-Can model, scholarships and can help you fundraise from family and friends to attend.

Global Scholar goes way beyond traditional learning. Through very interactive workshops, seminars, small-group activities, and engaging assignments and projects, Global Scholars not only learn information, they practice and refine how to apply their new knowledge and skills to their lives. Our driving belief is that it’s not just what you know in the world, it’s who you are and what you do to make it a better place.

Only through our powerful mix of content, alongside a group of equally inspiring peers, and driven by this urgent moment in time, will Scholars truly get the skills and the support they need to be global leaders.

Global Scholar is intended to meet you where you’re at. Although many of our participants have had some exposure to global issues, for example through school or travel, it’s definitely not required (and many others don’t). The only thing that’s required is an interest in exploring global challenges like poverty and climate change, as well as the US role in addressing them. Sessions introduce key issues and concepts, and background readings and assignments provide additional depth. The sessions move at a quick pace, and even those who are familiar with these issues will be challenged to deepen their understanding even further. This is particularly true during the Action Lab, when Scholars design their own project or event.

Unpacking the greatest global challenges facing us today is a cornerstone of the Global Scholar experience. Learning happens through seminars with experts with deep and hands-on experience working on the issues we discuss throughout the program, from climate change to global health to the rights of women and girls.

Past speakers included: Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins; Former US Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman; Asia Jackson, Actress and SKNFLUENCER Founder; Omer Kanat, Founder, Uyghur Human Rights Project; Franklin Morales, Head Of Commercial and Economic Development Affairs, Embassy of Panama; Niamh King, Deputy Director, Aspen Strategy Group, and many, many more. This year’s speakers will be announced throughout the spring.

In addition, we meet with many young leaders of organizations, movements and campaigns, too. This is a true highlight of the program, reinforcing our founding premise that young people have the knowledge and skills to be leaders in this work. Recent youth speakers include: Renata Koch Alvarenga, Founder and Director of EmpoderaClima; Marie Claire Kaberamanzi, Girls’ Education Advocate with Malala Fund; Wadi Ben-Hirki, Ashoka Fellow and Nigerian Activist; and Sahana Kaur, Chair of Amnesty International Malaysia’s Youth Committee. Check out our Global Youth Visionaries on our website to see a fuller list.

Check out the list of last year’s fantastic speakers on the website here: https://www.ampglobalyouth.org/global-scholar-speaker/

Global Scholar staff are experienced leaders, educators, change makers, and advocates. Our longtime program director Karen Showalter has led the program the past twelve years, and has over 20 years of experience working with youth, groups, and movements to mobilize around global issues like access to education, development financing, women’s rights, and more. Training Director Aris Hines has extensive experience as a global educator in both the US and the Philippines, and is a recognized designer, artist and playwright.

Our summer staff always includes program alumni, who return to give back to the program.

The full summer staff line-up will be announced in June!

Our Action Lab workshops are a highlight of the Global Scholar experience, and a real standout feature of our program. These are not your generic public speaking seminars. We offer transformative experiences that engage, uplift, and challenge participants to think about their role and voice in this world, their skills for engaging others, and their ability to envision and enact change around issues they care about. Workshops are led by our experienced youth trainers, including Aris Hines. We also welcome many exiting guest trainers into the program, and this year workshops will also be facilitated by alumni from Switzerland, Turkey and Brazil.

Global Scholars will receive certificates upon successful completion of the program, and staff will happily write recommendations for college or other applications. We do not provide grades or credit, although we are happy to work with you to apply for credit at your school if applicable. And of course, the Action Lab gives Scholars a concrete project to share and launch at the end of the experience, which is a great resume-builder! We also offer a host of leadership opportunities following the experience.

We place a premium on providing a small-group experience. A typical session is about 15 students. We break each session into smaller cohorts of 5-8 for discussion groups and project work.

We strive to ensure the Global Scholar experience is as accessible as possible, which translates to our approach to staffing, recruitment, programming, technology, and scholarship support. We offer as many scholarships as possible, depending on funding. Most of our scholarships are partial, and they do not cover transportation to / from the program. Last year, over 50% of the class received partial or full scholarships to attend Global Scholar.

The first step is to apply to and be accepted to the program, after which we’ll share information on how to apply for a scholarship.

You can make payments via the application portal. You’re able to set up a payment plan via the portal, too.

Here’s a snapshot of a typical day in D.C.:
8am: Breakfast
9am: Group check in and welcome to the day
10-11:30am: Meet with experts at the Aspen Institute (downtown) to discuss global security
11:30-12:30pm: Lunch and walk by the White House
2-4:30pm: Systems Thinking Workshop (on campus)
5:30-6:30pm: Dinner
7-9pm: Social event or project work

This summer Global Scholar is once again returning to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., which offers the perfect setting: a green campus, with easy access to downtown D.C.

We split our time between campus and downtown Washington. Many of the policy seminars take place in offices in downtown D.C., while many of the skillbuilding workshops take place on campus.

Scholars stay in the dorms along with our staff. They are placed in well-equipped double or triple rooms, and share a bathroom with others on their hall. Laundry facilities, snack machines, a tv lounge and many other amenities are available in the dorm. No one is able to enter the dorms without proper ID. This is a real college experience!

We share many of our meals in one of the dining halls on campus, which offers hot items, a nice salad bar, daily specials, and plenty of vegetarian items. The cafeteria can accommodate other dietary needs like gluten-free and allergies. A coffee shop and a couple of fast food restaurants are also located nearby. We also eat out around Washington, D.C., enjoying the many cuisines available in the city. Please contact us with specific questions about dietary needs or concerns: globalscholar@ampglobalyouth.org.

Safety is our top priority. Our staff live in the dorms with Scholars, and entry is only permitted with a key card. Scholars are not permitted to travel around campus or Washington, D.C. without Global Scholar staff. We’ll have a safety discussion on the first night, to review expectations around safety on campus, and when traveling downtown.

All of our program staff complete background checks, mandated reporter training, and safety training. Scholars agree to a set of student and community agreements at the start of the program which outline our expectations and requirements for participation.

We are very happy to answer additional questions about safety and security during the program.

Upon registration Scholars can opt for us to pick them up / drop them off at their points of arrival. Our program starts at 6pm on the first day.

Washington has good public transportation, and we use it as much as possible.

We will share specific details about the dorms in June, including where parents can drop Scholars off if they are bringing them to the program.

The program fee includes room, board, materials and the program itself. Scholars are responsible for paying for transportation to/from Washington DC, supplemental meals or snacks, and spending money. Scholars are also expected to pay for lunch on the two days we do sight seeing downtown. Although it’s hard to estimate, a reasonable amount of spending money might be $50/week.

Global Scholar is run by AMP Global Youth / Americans for Informed Democracy, a non-profit organization founded by students at Yale after 9/11 to help youth understand global challenges and build their skills for taking action. We are NOT a company, and our goal is to amplify the voices of as many youth as possible. We are mission-driven, not profit-driven.

Our goal is to inspire student conversation around the U.S. role in the world and key global challenges facing us today. These conversations are based on the premise that the U.S. does have an important role to play beyond our own borders. We strive to help students understand all sides of issues and empower them to formulate their own opinions on the best courses of action for our country to take.

We work hard to keep costs low and to provide a valuable program that is competitive with similar offerings, so we ask for your understanding to respect our Cancellation and Refund Policy.

You are able to switch between sessions as space allows (including between virtual and in-person programming). Please contact us as soon as you know you need to explore this option. We cannot guarantee we can make the switch, but we will try our best!

If you cancel within 30 days of the start date of your Global Scholar session, you won’t receive a refund. If you cancel within 60 days but more than 30 days to the start date of your Global Scholar, you will receive a refund of 50% of the program fee, excluding your non-refundable Application Fee.

If we are forced to cancel in-person programming, any student who has been accepted to an in-person program is welcome to switch to a virtual session, or receive a full refund of any fees paid.

Space at our courses is limited, and we have to reserve student housing and vendors well in advance. We are futhermore beholden to the cancellation penalties from partners like the universities. As a result, our ability to provide refunds is limited strictly to these timetables. We understand that few can afford to pay for a program that they can’t attend, so we strongly encourage you to consider our refund policy when making future plans and to plan carefully.