GDS Policy Institute

An Incubator for Activism

Currently in its 10th year, the Georgetown Day School Policy Institute is an incubator for activism. For four weeks each summer, High School students learn about pressing social justice issues of global and/or national importance by working with advocates, engaging in direct conversation with policymakers, traveling to “ground zero” cities where the focus issue is most prevalent, and building relationships with individuals at the heart of the issue. It is a truly student-led, interactive learning experience through which participants use the world around them as a classroom and ultimately, construct an action project to create meaningful and informed change.


The five tracks for Summer 2024 are:

Advancing Equity in Higher Education

AI in a Human World

Bodily Autonomy and Consent

Environmental Justice

Waging Life 


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 video from Summer 2023!