Click here to register for GLYP!

Student programming is back! This Summer we are slated to run what is quickly becoming one of our flagship offerings, the Global Leadership Youth Summer Program (GLYP). Open to students entering grades 8 -12, this program gives students valuable skills including negotiation, global awareness, and an understanding of diplomatic processes. This program has been made possible thanks to the academic partnership of La Jolla Country Day School and the generous support of Nordson Corporation Foundation and Five Together Foundation.

The Summer 2021 iteration of GLYP will include all of the most-loved components of our previous student programs including diplomacy simulations, guest speakers, deep-dive projects, and ample opportunities to connect with like-minded students. However, there are several pieces to GLYP that may look different this time around, including participation from students outside of the U.S., and optional in-person site visits and workshops.

This program allows students to engage in a more immersive environment as they explore their interest in international affairs. The program offers several modules, including the following:

GLOBAL PRIDE: ADVOCATING FOR LGBTQ+ RIGHTS

June 28 – July 2, 9:00 – 11:45 am PDT daily.

While tangible progress has been made in recent decades to secure rights and protections for LGBTQ+ people (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual, pansexual and others), this community continues to experience widespread discrimination and human rights abuses on every continent. LGBTQ+ individuals face marginalization, repression, imprisonment, and the threat of extreme violence or death, while queer and transgender activity has been criminalized in over seventy countries. Even in the twenty-nine countries that legally recognize marriage equality, protection from discrimination often remains inadequate; many LGBTQ+ individuals lack access to social and commercial services, health, education, health, employment, and housing. As we mark Pride Month in San Diego, we will examine how the international community can advance meaningful social and political progress toward protecting human rights among the LGBTQ+ community.

“OF THE PEOPLE”?: DEMOCRACY IN DANGER 

July 5 – 9, 9:00 – 11:45 am PDT daily.

In the Gettysburg Address, President Lincoln called on his fellow citizens to act so that “government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.” In 1863, representative democracies were the exception rather than the rule; one hundred sixty years later, decades of decolonization and the fall of the Berlin Wall broke open the constitutional floodgates with new governments pledging to protect individual liberties. Yet two decades into the twenty-first century, the temptations of illiberal democracy have fueled the rise of autocratic leaders threatening the hope and promise of the people’s rule. This module will explore the contemporary tendency towards authoritarianism and ask whether the world’s democracies can nobly preserve what Lincoln called “the last best hope of earth.”

THERE IS NO PLANET B: ACCELERATING CLIMATE ACTION

July 19 – 23, 9:00 – 11:45 am PDT daily.

Are we entitled to a healthy planet? A national youth coalition is suing the U.S. government for its outsized role in the climate change crisis thereby threatening their constitutional rights. Young people don’t carry the blame for the worst of our climate catastrophes, yet their voices are increasingly calling for action. To surpass the 2015 Paris Agreement targets, the world must collectively tackle this issue, but barriers remain including economic concerns, cultural and social norms, and the United States’ shaky global leadership. What can young people do today to counteract the damage already done and ensure a sustainable future? In this module, we will tackle the same questions global climate leaders are asking as they prepare for this November’s United Nations Global Climate Change Conference (COP26). We will also explore how to mobilize the remarkable will of youth climate advocates.

OUTSIDE THE BOX: DESIGN THINKING FOR SOCIAL GLOBAL INNOVATION

August 2 – 6, 9:00 – 11:45 am PDT daily.

In the days when steam meant nothing more than water in gaseous form, Leonardo Da Vinci once said, “to develop a complete mind: study the science of art; study the art of science. Learn how to see; realize that everything connects to everything else.” In the 21st century, innovation occurs at an unprecedented rate. Changemakers are increasingly harnessing STEAM principles (science, technology, engineering, art and math) to address the world’s most formidable challenges. However, “learning to see” is about more than STEAM. It involves developing a design-thinking mindset: challenging assumptions and undertaking a deeper exploration of the problem in order to fully understand who and why. In this module, using access to education during the Covid-19 Pandemic as a case study, we will explore how design thinking helps global leaders become creative, effective problem solvers and holistic collaborators.

To find out more about the Global Leadership Youth Program, email Lulu Bonning at  lulu@sandiegodiplomacy.org.