Extracurriculars That Build Public Speaking
Delivering ideas clearly and confidently in front of an audience.
Boston University’s Research in Science & Engineering (RISE) program is a selective six-week summer experience for rising high school seniors…
Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS) is a two-week summer program at Yale University for high-achieving high school students from around…
The National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) is the largest interscholastic organization in the United States dedicated to speech and…
The American Legion Boys’ Nation is a prestigious, week-long civic leadership program held annually in Washington, D.C., for 100 high…
The United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) is a prestigious, week-long educational experience held annually in Washington, D.C., for outstanding…
Stanford’s Summer Humanities Institute (SHI) is a three-week, residential enrichment program for rising high school juniors and seniors that immerses…
The Research Science Institute (RSI) at MIT is a six-week, fully residential program that brings together around 80 of the…
The Bank of America Student Leaders® program is an eight-week, paid summer internship designed for high school juniors and seniors…
The Clark Scholars Program at Texas Tech University is an intensive seven-week summer research program for highly accomplished high school…
The Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school…
Model United Nations (MUN) conferences are academic simulations where students role-play as delegates representing countries in the United Nations. Participants…
The National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC) offers high school students immersive, career-focused summer programs at top universities across the U.S.…
Key Club International is a student-led service organization for high school students, focused on developing leadership skills through community service.…
The Harvard Pre-College Program is a two-week summer program designed for high school students to experience college-level academics and campus…
The National High School Ethics Bowl is an academic competition in which teams of students analyze and discuss complex ethical…
The LaunchX Online Summer Innovation Program is an intensive three week virtual entrepreneurship experience designed for high school students interested…
The Economics for Leaders program, offered by the Foundation for Teaching Economics, is a selective summer program designed to help…
The Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR) is a highly selective eight-week biomedical research program for high school…
The Stanford Young Investigators program is a competitive high school internship in environmental science and sustainability offered through the Stanford…
The Conrad Challenge is a global STEM innovation and entrepreneurship competition for students ages 13 to 18 that challenges teams…
The UC Berkeley Business Academy for Youth, often called B-BAY, is a selective pre college business and entrepreneurship program hosted…
The Congressional Essay Contest, organized by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, is a national writing competition…
The Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy is a highly selective, research intensive summer program hosted by City of…
The United States Senate Page Program is a highly selective civic engagement program that allows high school students to work…
The INSIGHT High School Program at the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center is a selective summer program designed to…
The NYC Ladders for Leaders program is a competitive summer internship program run by the New York City Department of…
A rigorous, 6-unit residential conservatory program involving 28 hours of weekly studio training (e.g., Atlantic Acting School, Meisner, or Production…
Participate in a rigorous, five-week professional actor training intensive. Develop foundational skills in acting technique, scene study, Shakespeare, voice and…
Participate in industry-validated competitive events aligned with National Curriculum Standards. The program involves preparing for and competing in role-play scenarios,…
A leadership and advocacy role designed to increase volunteer engagement across New Jersey. Ambassadors use social media platforms to recruit…
The Jewish Student Union (JSU) is a national network of 515+ student-led clubs across 38 states that empowers high school…
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is a faith-based organization that brings together student athletes and coaches to integrate Christian…
The International Thespian Society (ITS) is an honor society for theatre students in grades 6–12 that recognizes excellence in dramatic…
National Beta Club is one of the largest and most prestigious academic honor organizations in the United States, recognizing high-achieving…
Tri-M Music Honor Society is the only national honor society exclusively for student musicians, recognizing academically capable and musically gifted…
Teen Age Republicans (TARS) is the official youth auxiliary of the Republican Party and the nation's largest organization for young…
Young Democrats of America (YDA) is the nation's largest youth-led partisan political organization, with over 20,000 members across all 50…
High School Democrats of America (HSDA) is the official high school arm of the Democratic Party, connecting young progressive students…
The National Organization for Women (NOW) is a leading feminist advocacy organization dedicated to advancing equality and justice for women…
Amnesty International USA is a globally recognized human rights organization that empowers student activists to advocate for justice, dignity, and…
Girls Learn International is a free, student-led organization that empowers middle and high school students to advocate for gender equity…
Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) is a national student-led organization with over 45 years of history empowering young people to…
Cru is a nationwide Christian organization that provides students with opportunities to grow in their faith through Bible studies, small…
DoSomething is a free, year-round civic engagement platform that connects high school students to campaigns focused on causes like climate…
The Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge is a prestigious nationwide science competition for middle school students in grades 6–8,…
The National Ocean Sciences Bowl is a prestigious academic competition that challenges teams of high school students to master topics…
The Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) is a prestigious national program that challenges high school students to conduct original…
The National High School Mock Trial Championship is a prestigious annual competition where student teams take on the roles of…
Quiz Bowl is a competitive academic team game organized by the National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT) in which students buzz…
The National History Bee is a prestigious individual quiz competition for high school students that tests knowledge of history spanning…
The Fountainhead Essay Contest, run by the Ayn Rand Institute, is an annual writing competition open to 11th and 12th…
YouthPLAYS is a theatrical publishing company that accepts script submissions from young playwrights ages 19 and under on a rolling,…
The Worldwide Plays Festival Competition is an annual playwriting competition organized by Writopia Lab for students in grades 3–12, challenging…
National History Day is an annual academic competition that challenges students in grades 6 through 12 to conduct in-depth historical…
The Scholastic Journalism Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) is a national community dedicated…
The Posse Foundation Scholarship is a prestigious full-tuition leadership scholarship that identifies and recruits students with extraordinary leadership potential from…
The Technology Student Association (TSA) National Conference is a five-day annual gathering that brings together high school students from across…
SkillsUSA National Championships is one of the largest hands-on workforce development events in the world, bringing together more than 7,000…
The International History Olympiad is a prestigious biennial competition organized by International Academic Competitions that brings together top history students…
GENIUS Olympiad is an international high school project competition organized by Terra Science and Education that challenges students to develop…
The Horizon Academic Essay Prize is an annual international essay competition organized by Horizon Inspires for students in grades 9…
Learning to Be Heard is a free, global virtual public speaking competition for high school students aged 14 to 18,…
Destination Imagination is a national STEAM competition where teams of students in grades 3 through 12 collaborate to solve open-ended…
The Diamond Challenge is an annual global entrepreneurship competition hosted by the University of Delaware that invites high school students…
The United States Academic Decathlon (USAD) is a prestigious team-based academic competition for high school students in grades 9 to…
The Chicago Summer Business Institute is a free, paid six-week summer internship program that connects high-achieving Chicago sophomores and juniors…
The Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program (ASSIP) is a nationally recognized eight-week research internship offered by George Mason University for…
Immerse Education is a global academic organization that offers undergraduate-level summer programs for high school students aged 13 to 18…
The Experience Christendom Summer Program, commonly known as The Best Week Ever, is a highly selective pre-college program offered by…
American Collegiate Adventures (ACA) is a summer enrichment organization that offers high school students immersive academic and career exploration experiences…
Camp Cronkite is a selective summer media program hosted by Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass…
The Kelley Women's Leadership Institute (KWLI) is a selective, free pre-college program offered by the Kelley School of Business at…
Leadership in the Business World (LBW) is an intensive summer program offered by the Wharton Global Youth Program, designed exclusively…
The National High School Game Academy (NHSGA) is a selective six-week summer program hosted by Carnegie Mellon University that teaches…
The Boston University Summer Challenge is a two-week residential or commuter summer program at Boston University for students in grades…
Summer@Brown is a pre-college program offered by Brown University that allows high school students in grades 9 through 12 to…
Arete: An Introduction to the Classics is a program offered by the University of Dallas that immerses high school students…
TCU Band Camp is a summer music program hosted by Texas Christian University's School of Music for students in grades…
Tapia STEM Camps are award-winning residential summer programs hosted at Rice University for students in grades 8 through 12, combining…
The McCombs Future Executive Academy is a free, six-day summer program hosted by the McCombs School of Business at the…
The Lighthouse High School Summer Writing Intensive is a one-week program offered by Lighthouse Writers Workshop for students ages 14…
The Global Business Academy is a 10-day summer program offered by Colorado State University's College of Business for high school…
The Lorenzo de Zavala (LDZ) Youth Legislative Session is the most recognized program of the National Hispanic Institute, designed for…
CSU Dance Lab: Summer Intensive is a two-week college preparatory program hosted by Colorado State University's Department of Dance for…
The Denver Writing Project Young Writers Camps are week-long summer writing programs serving students in grades 3 through 12 at…
The University of Alabama K-12 Summer Programs is a comprehensive suite of enrichment opportunities hosted by the University of Alabama…
Stanford Summer College is an eight-week residential program at Stanford University where high-achieving high school students take rigorous college-level courses…
The Sadie Nash Summer Institute is an award-winning six-week program run by the Sadie Nash Leadership Project for high school…
Summer Shakespeare is a free, highly selective five-week summer intensive program offered by the Stella Adler Center for the Arts…
The Bella Abzug Leadership Institute (BALI) Journey to Leadership Program is a six-week summer leadership program for female-identifying and gender…
The Manhattan District Attorney's High School Internship Program is a rigorous, paid five-week summer program open to juniors and seniors…
The Biorocket Research Internship Program, offered by Genspace, is a six-month science research internship for New York City public and…
The Wooster Group Summer Institute is a free, three-week intensive performance workshop for New York City public middle and high…
Artslife is a highly selective paid summer internship program offered by the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) for rising…
The Summer Leadership Academy is a selective week-long program at Mercy University designed for rising high school seniors with strong…
Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the Science of Smart Cities (ieSoSC) is a free, full-time summer program offered by NYU Tandon School…
NYU Computer Science for Cyber Security (CS4CS) is a free, fully-funded four-week summer program offered by NYU Tandon School of…
Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering (ARISE) is a free 10-week summer program offered by NYU K12 STEM Education…
All Star Code Summer Intensive is a tuition-free, six-week virtual program designed for high school-aged male-identifying students from underrepresented backgrounds…
UC Santa Barbara's Summer Research Academies is a four-week pre-college program that places high school students directly into university-level research…
College-Ready Writing: Personal and Academic, Both! is a two-week summer writing workshop offered by UCLA Center X for students in…
Juniper Young Writers Online is an intensive one-week virtual creative writing program offered by the University of Massachusetts Amherst for…
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Virtual Architecture Summer Camp Academy is a one-week intensive program offered by UWM's School of Architecture…
Writers' Week is a one-week pre-college summer program at Sarah Lawrence College that immerses high school students in creative writing…
Relay For Life is a nationwide fundraising movement organized by the American Cancer Society that brings together students and community…
Best Buddies is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to ending the social, physical, and economic isolation of people with intellectual…
Operation Smile Student Programs is a global service organization that unites high school students around the mission of providing cleft…
The Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition is the largest and most prestigious virtual pitch competition for high school students worldwide,…
Summer Discovery is a pre-college summer program that places students in immersive academic environments at 15+ world-renowned universities, including Ivy…
The Iowa Young Writers' Studio Summer Residential Program is a two-week immersive creative writing experience hosted by the University of…
The Jackson Laboratory Summer Student Program is a 10-week residential research experience for graduating high school seniors and undergraduate students…
The Broad Summer Scholars Program is a free, six-week summer research experience hosted by the Broad Institute, one of the…
The Annenberg Youth Academy for Media and Civic Engagement is a three-week summer intensive program hosted by the USC Annenberg…
Notre Dame Summer Scholars is a prestigious two-week pre-college program hosted on the campus of the University of Notre Dame,…
JCamp is a free, six-day residential journalism program offered by the Asian American Journalists Association for high school sophomores and…
ALA Girls State is a competitive, week-long civic education program sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary for high school juniors…
The Telluride Association Summer Seminar (TASS) is a free, highly selective five-week summer program for high school sophomores and juniors…
Washington University in St. Louis offers a range of summer programs that give high school students a taste of college…
USC Summer Programs is a prestigious pre-college initiative at the University of Southern California that invites outstanding high school students…
The ESU National Shakespeare Competition is a prestigious national program where high school students in grades 9 to 12 memorize,…
The Brown Leadership Institute is a pre-college summer program offered by Brown University that equips high school students in grades…
The NextGen Leadership Institute is a three-week pre-college summer program offered by Barnard College that combines rigorous academics with leadership…
Business Is Global is a two-week summer program offered by the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University for rising…
Lean GAP is a four-week summer entrepreneurship program that guides high school students through the full process of building a…
The Georgetown University Entrepreneurship Academy is a two-week summer program hosted by Georgetown University where high school students receive comprehensive…
USC Exploring Entrepreneurship is a four-week summer program at the University of Southern California that introduces high school students to…
The Athena Summer Innovation Institute is an intensive three-week program at Barnard College where high school students with entrepreneurial ambitions…
Caminos al Futuro is a free, three-week residential pre-college program hosted by the Cisneros Institute at George Washington University, open…
Career Insight: Business and Entrepreneurship is a two-week residential summer program hosted by the University of Chicago for students in…
Wall Street 101 is a competitive experiential learning program hosted by Bentley University for rising high school juniors and seniors…
The California High School Speech Association (CHSSA) is the governing body for competitive speech and debate in California, overseeing individual…
The University of Minnesota College Invitational is an annual policy debate tournament hosted by the University of Minnesota that welcomes…
Harvard Model Congress (HMC) is a premier government simulation conference organized and staffed entirely by Harvard undergraduates, offering high school…
The Harvard National Speech and Debate Tournament is one of the most prestigious invitational tournaments in the country, drawing high…
Youth Service America (YSA) is a national organization that empowers young people ages 5 to 25 to take action in…
The Shatterproof Walk to End Addiction is an annual community event organized by Shatterproof, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming addiction…
The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens Volunteer Program is a year-round opportunity for students passionate about wildlife, conservation, and…
The La Brea Tar Pits Volunteer Program offers high school students the opportunity to contribute to one of the most…
MDI Biomedical Bootcamp is a one-week summer program hosted by MDI Biological Laboratory that gives rising juniors, seniors, and recent…
The University of Florida Student Science Training Program (UF SSTP) is a highly selective, seven-week residential research program for rising…
Research in the Biological Sciences (RIBS) is a four-week intensive summer program at the University of Chicago where high school…
The Coca-Cola Scholars Program is a prestigious national scholarship initiative that recognizes exceptional high school seniors who demonstrate outstanding leadership,…
The Coolidge Scholarship is a fully funded, four-year presidential scholarship sponsored by the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Fund that covers tuition,…
The Steppenwolf Young Adult Council (YAC) is a year-round teen program organized by the renowned Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago…
The Center Theatre Group Student Ambassadors program connects high school students with one of Los Angeles's most prominent professional theatre…
The Dr. Phillips Center Teen Ambassadors is a selective year-long program at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts…
The Musical Theatre West Youth Ambassador Council is a selective, year-round leadership program for high school students in grades 9…
Student Ambassadors for the Arsht is a free, yearlong leadership and arts engagement program run by the Adrienne Arsht Center…
The Youth Ambassador Program (YAP), sponsored in part by Bank of Utica, is a year-round extracurricular opportunity for high school…
Synchronicity Theatre is an Atlanta-based theater organization that produces bold, original works while centering the voices of women and girls.…
Brave New Voices is an annual international youth poetry festival organized by Youth Speaks that brings together the world's most…
The Next Narrative Monologue Competition (NNMC) is True Colors Theatre Company's signature program for high school students in grades 9…
The Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge is a free national competition presented by the National Endowment for the Arts and the…
The Jimmy Awards, organized by The Broadway League Foundation, is a national competition recognizing outstanding high school achievement in musical…
The Startup UCLA Summer Institute is a pre-college entrepreneurship program hosted by UCLA that immerses high school students in grades…
ENOUGH! Plays to End Gun Violence is a national initiative that invites teen writers and playwrights ages 13 to 19…
Summer Venture in Business (SVB) is a six-day pre-college summer academy hosted by the University of Kansas School of Business…
The Snider Enterprise and Leadership Fellows (SELF) Experience is a selective three-week summer program offered by the University of Maryland's…
The Barkley Forum for High Schools is a prestigious competitive debate program hosted by Emory University, one of the nation's…
The Cal Invitational is a prestigious annual speech and debate tournament hosted by UC Berkeley, open to high school students…
The National Forensic League Honor Society, operated by the National Speech and Debate Association, is one of the oldest and…
The American Legion National High School Oratorical Contest is an annual public speaking competition where students demonstrate their knowledge of…
The UK Youth Parliament is a nationwide civic engagement program where young people aged 11 to 18 are elected as…
The American Debate League is a nonprofit organization that trains students in competitive Public Forum debate, building critical thinking, communication,…
The Great Debate is a national public-speaking competition organized by The Historical Association for secondary school students in years 10…
The World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships (WIDPSC) is an annual international competition where high school students from around…
NSS Global Space Debates is an international debate competition run by the National Space Society that challenges high school students…
The Indigenous Youth Media Workshop is a summer program offered by Northern Arizona University's School of Communication for high school…
The RISE Summer Leadership Institute is a four-day residential program at Arizona State University's Tempe campus designed for rising juniors…
Med-Start Health Careers Program is a six-week residential summer program offered by the University of Arizona that prepares high school…
The KEYS Research Internship, offered by the BIO5 Institute at the University of Arizona, is a prestigious seven-week summer program…
The Business Careers Awareness Program (BCAP) is a free, week-long residential summer program hosted by the University of Arizona's Eller…
The International Brain Bee is a prestigious neuroscience competition for high school students that challenges participants to master complex topics…
The Breakthrough Junior Challenge is a global science video competition open to high school students worldwide, where participants create short,…
Experiences in Research (EinR) is a paid summer internship program offered by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for high school students…
The American Anthropological Association Virtual High School Internship is a four-week summer program where students explore the field of anthropology…
The Lincoln Park Zoo Malott Family Zoo Intern Program is a prestigious internship opportunity for high school students passionate about…
The Young Scholars Summer STEMM Research Program is a fully funded six-week research experience hosted by the University of Illinois…
Far Horizons Teens is a high school research program at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago where students in grades 9…
The King Conservation Science Scholars Program is a year-round extracurricular initiative offered by Brookfield Zoo Chicago for students in grades…
The Careers in Science (CiS) Intern Program at the California Academy of Sciences is a multi-year, paid internship and youth…
The Theatre & Dance Summer STARS Camps are a series of week-long day camps hosted by the University of New…
Ohio University's Pre-College and Youth Online Summer Programs offer high school students an immersive, one to two week experience across…
The FIRE Free Speech Leadership Summit is an advocacy program organized by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE)…
The High School Fellowship in Biomedical Research is a four-week summer internship offered by The Wistar Institute, one of the…
NYU Democracy Scholars is a free three-week residential summer program at New York University for rising high school seniors in…
The Moth High School StorySLAM is a free, multi-week workshop series offered by The Moth that teaches students in grades…
The Human Rights Campaign Youth Ambassadors Program is a national advocacy initiative that trains LGBTQ+ youth and allies to become…
The Global Youth Impact Summit 2026 is an international leadership conference hosted by CGAD in Porto, Portugal, bringing together 100…
Nexus Youth Exchange 2026 is a four-day international program organized by the Nexus Public Policy Institute, bringing together young leaders…
TechGirls is a competitive summer exchange program run by the U.S. Department of State that brings together young women ages…
The Hansen Leadership Institute (HLI) is an international leadership development program that brings together high school students from regions of…