A unique summer experience that empowers high school students to take action in response to today’s issues.
The Stern Civics Immersion Program is a three-week residential summer program.
Junior State of America’s Civics Immersion Program is designed to engage high school students with the most pressing issues facing our democracy today, challenging them to look beyond differences and focus on solution-oriented action. Participants gain a complete understanding of critical issues directly from the decision-makers who shape public policy and apply lessons learned to generate ideas for direct action in their communities.
Previous courses include Environmental Justice, Global Poverty, Inequality and Justice, and Design Thinking for Community Problem Solving. In addition to the primary course of study each summer, all students will take a supplementary course: Argumentation and Use of Evidence.
The material for the Civics Immersion program is designed for high school students in 9th-12th grade.
Maddie is the CEO & Co-founder of Living Carbon, a climate change biotech company. Living Carbon’s mission is to responsibly rebalance the planet’s carbon cycle using the inherent power of plants. The team develops photosynthesis-enhanced seedlings that capture more carbon and metal accumulating seedlings to clean soil and increase the duration of stored carbon. Prior to Living Carbon, Maddie worked on special projects at OpenAI and held various roles in VC and product management. Maddie is a JSA alum. During her time in JSA, she served as lieutenant governor for the Pacific Northwest State and represented her region as a delegate of the Montezuma Leadership Summit.
Be better equipped to participate in government at the national, state, and local levels
Be able to lead and participate in civil conversations with people from different backgrounds and perspectives
Learn and demonstrate effective 21st-century leadership skills
Be ready to address current and future political, economic, and social issues facing the world
Be better suited to succeed in secondary and post-secondary education environments
Develop and hone essential critical thinking skills