GDS Policy Institute

An Incubator for Activism

Launched in 2014, the Georgetown Day School Policy and Advocacy Institute is a student-led, interactive learning experience, wherein fellows use their passion towards a subject matter to try to shape the world around them. For four weeks each summer, GDS High School students learn about pressing social justice issues, such as homelessness and affordable housing, bodily assault and consent, and reparations by working with advocates, engaging in conversation with policymakers, and building relationships with individuals directly impacted by the issue they are examining. 


The six tracks for Summer 2023 are:

Bodily Autonomy and Consent

Criminal "Justice:" Reimagining the Carceral State

Environmental Justice

"Give Us Free:" Reparations Policy Past, Present, Future

The Gun Debate

Waging Life in the DMV 


The GDS Policy Institute Institute honors the dignity and worth of persons impacted by inequity, injustice, and oppression and strives to create a more socially just community and world.

To learn a bit more about the Policy Institute, check out our student-made video from Summer 2022!