High schoolers: Apply for the Bay Area Summer Academy

Published on April 03, 2023

Four regional government agencies are sponsoring a Bay Area Summer Academy for high school students interested in how the Bay Area grapples with issues like environmental justice, housing, transportation equity and community health. The online Bay Area Summer Academy will provide insights into how regional governments address these issues and how the public can help advance equity across the Bay Area. Students are encouraged to apply online at the Bay Area Summer Academy website.

Most sessions will be conducted remotely online mostly-online seminars, with the final session to be held in person in San Francisco at the regional agencies' shared headquarters. During weekly one-hour sessions in July 2023, students will learn about:

• What regional agencies do and the skills needed for a future career in the public sector.
• How to weigh in on decisions that impact the air we breathe, the neighborhoods we live in, how we get to work, school, exercise, and other factors that shape our communities’ health.
• How students can have a voice in making decisions that benefit their communities.
• Questions like how long is a bridge supposed to last? Why are there so many potholes? Why is housing so costly? How much is the water rising around the Bay?

To apply, students must:

• Live and go to high school in the Bay Area
• Be 16 years old and have completed the ninth grade by July 2023
• Be able to attend online sessions and present on a topic related to the seminars
• Have the permission of a parent or guardian to participate, if the student is under 18.

Enrollment is limited and selections will emphasize a diversity of perspectives from students across the Bay Area. Grade point averages are not considered. Apply by April 17, 2023.

Participating agencies include the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Bay Conservation and Development Commission and the Association of Bay Area Governments.