Civic Opportunities
Opportunities in Pennsylvania
The Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of America are year-round organizations designed to develop leadership, environmental awareness, citizenship, and social values for young girls and boys up to age seventeen.
The Civil Air Patrol gives young men and women from ages 12-21 the opportunity to learn about life in the U.S. Air Force and careers in the aviation and aerospace industries.
Sea Cadets introduces young men and women, ages 11-17, to the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marines. Organized in the same manner as the surface Navy, Sea Cadets learn seamanship, leadership, physical fitness, first aid, and pride in themselves and their country.
The Young Marines is a youth education and service program focusing on character-building, leadership, and promoting a healthy, drug-free lifestyle for boys and girls ages 8 through high school.
Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Conference
The Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Programs were developed by legendary screen actor Hugh O'Brian after he met humanitarian Dr. Albert Schweitzer while filming in Africa. The program invites high school students from around the United States to develop their leadership skills to the highest potential.
Girls and Boys States are applied leadership programs sponsored by the American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary. High school students are offered the chance to participate in a mock political and civic activities, including elections, that develop from the township to the state level.
Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence
The Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence offer a five-week summer program for high school students who demonstrate talent or interest in one or more of the following areas: Agricultural Science; The Arts; Global Entrepreneurshipp; Healthcare; Information, Society and Technology; International Studies; The Sciences; Teaching.
Opportunities in Washington, D.C.
Closeup is a civic education program inviting students and teachers of all ages to participate in DC-based learning programs which develop a lifetime of active citizenship.
Presidential Classroom brings high school students and college interns to Washington, DC, to go behind the scenes of policy development and observe the federal government at work. The speakers and instructors include politicians, law and college professors, press correspondents and members of the military.