Citizen Diplomat Academy

Citizen Diplomat Academy is a free, direct enrollment virtual high school exchange program open to students (ages 14-18). In this cohort-based model, students from the Greater Philadelphia region meet in live sessions with students from around the world over the course of five weeks to become citizen diplomats. Together, they develop key skills including cultural fluency, conflict resolution, critical thinking, and more to increase their comfort, and effectiveness as future leaders in a globalized world.

November 2023 | Citizen Diplomat Academy | Virtual

Philadelphia & Tel Aviv Cohort

Class 1: November 1, 2023 | 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST

Class 2: November 8, 2023 | 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST

Class 3: November 15, 2023 | 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST

-Skip Week of November 22, 2023-

Class 4: November 29, 2023 | 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST

Class 5: December 5, 2023 | 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST

Philadelphia & Frankfurt Cohort

Class 1: November 2, 2023 | 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST

Class 2: November 9, 2023 | 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST

Class 3: November 16, 2023 | 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST

-Skip Week of November 23, 2023-

Class 4: November 30, 2023 | 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST

Class 5: December 6, 2023 | 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST

Philadelphia is a historic city of firsts as the home of democracy in the United States. As the 6th largest U.S. city, it boasts the first lending library, university, zoo, art museum, and first women's medical college among other accomplishments. Philadelphia is the nation's first world heritage city and is also home to many American Revolutionary sites, including the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

Today, Philadelphia thrives across multiple sectors. As a center for higher education and academic research, the city hosts 18 four-year university and colleges. Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley also operate as a biotechnology hub as the birthplace of gene and cell therapy. As of 2023, metropolitan Philadelphia ranks among the top five U.S venture capital centers and the Philadelphia Stock Exchange is the nation's oldest stock exchange and a global leader in options trading.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Council is a leader in educational programming reaching 100 schools and serving 3,000 students in the annually. It has served over one million students since 1949.

We empower students to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and leadership skills to better understand the global 21st century.

The program is open to high school students in the Greater Philadelphia area and international students between the ages of 14 - 18 years old. Students can sign up for the program directly once registration opens. As part of the application process, we will collect parent/guardian contact information. Parents and guardians will also have to sign a media release and will be contacted directly about any additional information if needed.

The program is open to high school students in the Greater Philadelphia area and international students between the ages of 14 - 18 years old. Registration typically opens a month prior to the program's start date. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and space is limited to 30 students per cohort (15 Philadelphia students and 15 international students).

All live sessions and communications for the program will be entirely in English. Due to the highly interactive nature of this program, a high level of English language proficiency and comprehension is necessary.

Students will be asked about English language proficiency as a part of the registration process. We encourage students with an IELTS score of 6 or higher or a CEFR level of B2 or higher to apply.

Students will need a broadband internet connection. This program primarily uses a live video application called Zoom. Students can use devices like smartphones, laptops, or tablets to connect to the live sessions. Students are encouraged to plan ahead of time where they will be taking the live sessions from.

Students dedicate roughly 2 hours per week to the program: a 90 minute live, online session one day per week plus up to 30 minutes of asynchronous content and activities that can be done anytime during the week.

All students who complete our program receive the following:

A course completion certificate indicating their status as a young citizen diplomat