The Summer Symposium provides its participants with the tools to become the leaders they were born to be.
From the Holocaust to Darfur: American Responses to Genocide - 2008
The Power of One - 2012
Resistance: Our Time is Now! - 2013
Not on Our Watch: Standing Up to Genocide - 2014
Liberation: Standing Up Today for a Better Tomorrow
What You Do Matters: Be a Changemaker - 2016
Standing Together for a Better World - 2017
We Are the Eyes of the World: Be the Change - 2018
Solidarity: We Are Stronger Together - 2019
Women's Rights Are Human Rights - 2020
Our Stories Will Change the World - 2021
Women, Justice, Activism - 2023
Voices For Justice - 2024
our goalThe Summer Symposium builds on the knowledge students gain in the classroom to promote a more equitable and peaceful world with the aim of promoting human rights and an end to genocide. We accomplish this by providing young citizens with the tools they will need to fight intolerance, injustice, prejudice, and discrimination.
our award-winning methodology
Sharing Knowledge
We teach about the history of struggles for justice, highlighting the efforts of those who fought for equality and human rights. Understanding these stories, provides our students with perspective on the challenges and possibilities of creating change.
Inspiring Leaders
Our programs introduce students to individuals whose work in human rights demonstrates the power of commitment and integrity. By learning from their examples, young people discover practical ways they can promote dignity, equality, and justice in their own communities.
Building Connections
We help students see the power of working together and how collective action can amplify their voices to drive meaningful change. Through creating these supportive connections, they discover how community can strengthen their impact.
frequently asked questions
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The Summer Symposium welcomes incoming high school freshmen to outgoing high school seniors.
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Summer Symposium tuition is set yearly based on speaker fees / travel arrangements, field trips, and necessary materials. Scholarships are always available.
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The Symposium staff is comprised of teachers and leaders with degrees in education, political science, international development, conflict resolution, post-conflict peacebuilding, mass communications, global and international studies, war and peace studies, and women and gender studies.
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The Summer Symposium looks to history and current events to mark milestones, remember and honor victims and Upstanders, and to address pressing issues of our time.
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We choose speakers who bring real-world experience and a passion for human rights whose stories motivate students to make a difference.
Previous presenters have included:
Ammar Abdulhamid
Allida Black
David Crane
Joe Diamond
Law Eh Soe
Ben Ferenz
Victor Habinshuti
Jillian Hanesworth
Jordan Hattar
John Heffernan
Joan Mulholland
Nada Odeh
Lara Setrakian
Mary Beth Tinker
Carl Wilkens
from our students
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The way you tell your story online can make all the difference
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Maybe you want to launch a business
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Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more
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Maybe you have a creative project to share with the world
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