Unlock Your Teen's Potential.

Are your high schoolers passionate about social justice but struggling to make a real impact?

They're not alone. Many young leaders face the same challenge, unsure of how to navigate today's complex issues and make a lasting difference. But what if there was a way to help them hone their skills and channel their passion into meaningful action? 

Introducing the Summer Equity & Justice Institute! This series of weekly sessions empowers students in grades 9-12 to become the ethical leaders our world needs. With a different topic every week, participants will explore the rewards and challenges of serving the common good while learning practical skills and tools to work on social justice causes. 

Don't let your teen's passion go to waste! Enroll them in the Summer Equity & Justice Institute today and watch them transform into the leaders of tomorrow. 

Summer 2023 Themes

Fox Tank- Ethical Business Practices (July 5-7, *3-Day week)

In this course students will explore the inner workings of a small business to better understand the logistics, operations, and sustainable business practices that go into creating a successful and environmentally friendly business. We will explore budgeting, developing business plans, and marketing campaigns.  Students will work in teams on simulations, activities and will culminate in a competition to present business plans and ideas to a panel of judges.

Led by: Karen McCann McClelland, MEd, MBA, is Director of Auxiliary Programs at Sidwell Friends School and oversees the operation of a number of ‘businesses’ within the school including the Fox Den Cafe and Store, Early Childhood Learning Center and Sidwell Summer.  Karen is a social entrepreneur helping to design and create programs and ‘businesses’ within independent schools that have a positive impact on the community.

Leadership, Equity, Justice, and Inclusion Through Sport (July 10-14)

A week-long course that focuses on building leadership and sportsmanship skills through learning how equality and justice impact the athletic community. Students will have the chance to discuss experiences with social justices in their athletic community. Students will also learn how diversity, equality, and inclusion impacts every sport and how to bring together justice in a world of injustices.

Led by: Katie Nguyen is a Sidwell Friends School Coach and Assistant at the Fox Den Cafe and School Store.  She is studying Business at the University of Maryland.

The New Jim Code: How Biased AI Creates Inequality (July 17-21)

This course considers the ways that systemic racism and implicit bias impact the technologies that we use today. Unfortunately, many citizens believe technology is neutral, but in reality it is heavily influenced by those who make it, the assumptions they make, and the history that it is built upon. Artificial Intelligence systems are often built on western-centric and biased data that produces inequitable and sometimes blatantly bigoted results. Surveillance technologies and the data produced by them negatively impact the most marginalized among us. From large language models (GPT-3) and text-to-image generators (DALL-E2), to job and mortgage screening algorithms, to facial and voice recognition AI, we already live with new black-box technologies that citizens don't understand. This course critically considers essential questions around new technologies related to ethics, equity and justice in the hopes of graduating a new generation of civic and professional leaders equipped to push back against inequitable technology. It empowers learners to establish better, safer, and healthier connections to these new technologies and invites them to use their knowledge to help others.

Led by: Nate Green is the Middle School Academic Technology Coordinator at Sidwell Friends School.

Supporting Immigrant & Refugee Rights Through Legislative Advocacy (July 24-28)

In this course students will learn how to support the rights of immigrant and refugee communities through legislative advocacy. We will learn about the roles of key stakeholders in developing U.S. immigration law and policy, study the legislative process, explore how to develop an advocacy campaign, learn about local and national organizations engaged in advocacy and discuss various career paths in this field including law, government, and nonprofit organizations. Students will work in teams on simulations and activities resulting in an advocacy presentation.

Led by: Sara Ibrahim, is a public policy advocate and speaker on international human rights, refugee rights and immigrant rights with over 10 years of experience at the nation's leading nonprofit organizations. Sara earned her J.D. from American University Washington College Law and a graduate diploma in Forced Migration and Refugee Studies from the American University in Cairo. She received her B.A. from The George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs with a double major in International Affairs and Middle Eastern Studies.

Teen Consultants (July 31-August 4)

This innovative program empowers participants with a strategic mindset, problem-solving skills and business savvy through simulated real-world consulting experiences. Collaborate in small teams of junior consultants to design practical recommendations for real business issues faced by popular companies, including Apple, Coca-Cola and Disney. Create and deliver impactful client-ready presentations while learning about careers in consulting and virtually interacting with guest speakers from the consulting world.

For their service hours, participants will design a business plan to consult with a local non-profit focusing on a service project that will engage upper school students.  These plans will be presented to the Auxiliary Programs team in a "Shark Tank" format at the start of the school year.

Led by: Chuchi Arevalo, CFA, CFE | Founder and CEO of SPARK business academy, an organization that is“Empowering the next generation through financial literacy”.  Leveraging 20 years of professional expertise in business & finance and experience in education, SPARK designs and delivers innovative programs (including after-school enrichment classes, workshops and summer camps) at 300+ schools across the US (including many of the top institutions in the country) and globally.

GenHERation® Summer Intensive (August 7-9, *3-Day week)

Designed to equip students with the tools to succeed in the classroom, college, and beyond, the GenHERation® Summer Intensive at Sidwell Friends School is a rigorous, dynamic, and immersive experience that inspires young women to achieve their personal and professional goals by encouraging them to think big and push the limits of what’s possible.

Led by: Katlyn Grasso, the Founder and CEO of GenHERation®, which is a network where young women and companies connect. Katlyn is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she received a B.S. in Economics with concentrations in finance and strategic globalization. She received the inaugural Penn President’s Engagement Prize, which provides graduating seniors with $150,000 to develop ventures that have the potential to change the world. Katlyn was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 List as one of the most influential entrepreneurs in the world.

During the GenHERation® Summer Intensive at Sidwell Friends School, students will:

• Learn from the most innovative companies in America through panel discussions, mentoring sessions, and custom-designed challenges

• Meet powerful leaders from Fortune 500 companies, tech giants, retailers, government agencies, and sports franchises

• Participate in skill-building simulations to practically apply learnings and real-world business practices  

• Collaborate as a team to develop and present a venture to a panel of community leaders

• Explore different career paths to discover future job and internship opportunities

• Refine their leadership, creativity, critical thinking, communication, entrepreneurial, analytical, and problem-solving skills

All participants who successfully complete the program will earn a GenHERation® Summer Intensive Leadership Certificate.