Summer Equity & Justice Institute

1-week sessions 9:00am - 3:00pm; 9:00am - 12:00pm $550-$700

The Summer Equity and Justice Institute (SEJI) offers a series of dynamic weekly sessions where students explore the meaning of leadership in the 21st century. Rooted in Sidwell Friends' commitment to ethical leadership and social responsibility, SEJI invites students in grades 6-12 to dive into critical topics, uncover the challenges and rewards of serving the common good, and develop tools to drive meaningful change.

Each week focuses on a unique theme, allowing participants to engage in thought-provoking discussions, hands-on group projects, interactive games, simulations, and hear from inspiring guest speakers. Through collaboration and exploration, students will tackle real-world social justice issues and discover how interconnected challenges shape our future.

In-person sessions: Space is limited—sign up for as many weeks as you’d like!
Required: A laptop or tablet with Wi-Fi (please contact us if this poses a barrier).
Earn SSL / community engagement hours: Hours vary by week based on program components. Rising Sidwell Friends 10th-12th graders can earn 5-10 hours per session toward their 60-hour community engagement graduation requirement.

Sidwell Summer is dedicated to making SEJI accessible to all. Financial aid is available for Sidwell Friends students, and non-Sidwell Friends students may apply for Summer Sponsorship.

For pricing, registration, or additional questions, contact us at summer@sidwell.edu.

Dates, Hours, and Fees

2026 schedule below - additional programming may be added in the coming weeks.

  
    

 2026 Dates

Date/Time
Workshop
Grades
Price

June 22-June 26 (9:00am-12:00pm)
Purposeful Pages: The Art of Being a Global Citizen
6-10
$550

June 29-July 2 *4-day week (9:00am-3:00pm)
Fox Tank Ethical Business Practices
6-12
$600

July 6-10 (9:00am-3:00pm)
Creative Dissent: Art, Ethics, and Civic Expression
7-10
$700

July 13-17 (9:00am-3:00pm)
Think Like A Lawyer
6-12
$700

July 20-24 (9:00am-3:00pm) 
Bioethics and Social Justice: Navigating 21st Century Challenges
9-12
$700

July 20-24 (9:00am-3:00pm) 
Teen Consultants
8-12
$700

July 27-31 (9:00am-3:00pm) 
Bioethics and Social Justice: Navigating 21st Century Challenges
9-12
$700

July 27-31 (9:00am-3:00pm)
Find your Voice: Building an internal compass for ethical leadership
9-12
$700

August 3-7 (9:00am-12:00pm)
The New Jim Crow: How Biased AI Creates Inequality
6-12
$550

August 3-7 (9:00am-3:00pm)
Use your Voice: Ethical storytelling, media and digital citizenship
9-12
$700



 
  

SEJI 2026 Program Descriptions

Purposeful Pages: The Art of Being a Global Citizen

This program centers on the idea that creativity carries responsibility. Students will explore what it means to be a global citizen, investigate issues of fairness and inclusion, and examine how art can inspire change. Through the creation of a zine, students will share stories they believe matter and reflect on the message their work would leave for future readers.

Led by: Eve Eaton, Sidwell Friends Lower School Academic Support Teacher

Bioethics and Social Justice: Navigating 21st Century Challenges

This workshop invites high school students to critically examine pressing bioethical issues such as health care inequity, informed consent, gender-affirming care, euthanasia, abortion, human enhancement, genetic engineering, and environmental ethics. Students will explore foundational philosophical perspectives that provide insight into these complex topics and learn how abstract ethical debates translate into real-world social justice efforts.

Through interactive discussions, hands-on projects, and guest speakers, participants will develop the skills to evaluate diverse viewpoints and craft practical, local approaches to address bioethical dilemmas in their communities. This workshop fosters critical thinking, empathy, and leadership, empowering students to engage meaningfully with the ethical challenges shaping our future.

*For Summer 2026, this workshop topic will be offered twice - students should only sign up for one workshop/week. Material will be repetitive.

Led by: Stephen Armandt, Sidwell Friends Middle School History Teacher

Creative Dissent: Art, Ethics, and Civic Expression

This workshop invites students to investigate how protest art reflects and shapes ethical choices within communities. Students will analyze historical and contemporary works and participate in guided field trips to civic and cultural sites in Washington, DC and Alexandria, VA, where art, memory, and public dialogue intersect. Students will apply their learning by designing an original artwork that expresses a value or ethical stance they believe matters.

Led by: Frankie Brown, Sidwell Friends Assistant Head of School, Enrollment & Financial Aid and Admissions

Think Like A Lawyer

This workshop introduces participants to the foundations of legal reasoning, argumentation, and persuasive public speaking. Students will learn how to analyze cases, evaluate evidence, and construct clear, compelling arguments. The program also explores constitutional law and contemporary issues, equipping participants to engage thoughtfully with complex legal and social questions. Through a guided mini-debate and a structured writing component, students will actively apply these skills in practice. Designed for aspiring legal thinkers or students looking to strengthen their analytical and communication abilities, this workshop offers a rigorous, engaging, and intellectually enriching experience.

Led by: Sidwell Friends graduating Seniors, Alex Fagell and Eyob Sisay

Find your Voice: Building an internal compass for ethical leadership

This course focuses on helping students develop internal clarity by understanding who they are, identifying strengths and growth areas, and exploring identity and values. These elements shape how students make ethical decisions and how they understand leadership responsibility. Through guided reflection, discussion, structured exercises, and experiential learning, students examine what they stand for and how values guide responsible leadership. A core takeaway is that students cannot practice ethical leadership or social responsibility without first knowing who they are and what they stand for. Sample exercises include creating a personal values ladder to guide ethical decision-making, developing a value-aligned vision board as students' leadership north star, and crafting a personal leadership manifesto song

Led by: Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang, Former Tenured University of Maryland Professor, Goal-Achievement Coach for Teenagers, Founder of Classroom Without Walls, Public Speaker

Fox Tank- Ethical Business Practices

As a Gen Zer - you have an incredible opportunity to create, support, and cultivate ethical business practices. Each purchase you make - from your mocha or smoothie to your clothes and shoes - can make a difference and send a message!

This workshop will explore concepts of corporate social responsibility such as environmental sustainability, fair labor practices, diversity and inclusion, ethical marketing and how those can be used to enhance reputation, customer loyalty and brand image. Using the on campus Fox Den store and cafe as our classroom, participants will dive into the operations of a business - from inventory and marketing to customer service, POS systems and budgets. We will then use case studies and explore local businesses that are built on specific social issues including:

Bitty & Beau’s Coffee - more than a place to grab a cup of coffee - it’s an experience that’s changing the way people see other people - proudly employing 400+ individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities nationwide.

Together We Bake - a comprehensive workforce training and personal development program to help underserved women gain self- confidence, transferable workforce skills, and invaluable hands-on experience which will allow them to find sustainable employment and move toward self-sufficiency.

District Taco - A minority owned business impacting communities through values, local sourcing, and community service.

Through simulations and activities, participants will create mock business mission and vision statements, design new products and marketing campaigns, and culminating in a Fox Tank competition of pitching your business idea to the judges!

Led by: Karen McCann McClelland, MEd, MBA, Director of Auxiliary Programs at Sidwell Friends School, overseeing the operation of a number of ‘businesses’ within the school including the Fox Den Cafe and Store, Early Childhood Learning Center and Sidwell Summer

Teen Consultants

This innovative program empowers participants with a strategic mindset, problem-solving skills and business savvy through simulated real-world consulting experiences. Collaborate in small teams of junior consultants to design practical recommendations for real business issues faced by popular companies, including Apple, Coca-Cola and Disney. Create and deliver impactful client-ready presentations while learning about careers in consulting and virtually interacting with guest speakers from the consulting world.

For their service hours, participants will design a business plan to consult with a local non-profit focusing on a service project that will engage upper school students. These plans will be presented to the Auxiliary Programs team in a "Shark Tank" format.

Led by: Chuchi Arevalo, CFA, CFE | Founder and CEO of SPARK Business Academy, an organization that is “Empowering the next generation through financial literacy.” Leveraging 20 years of professional expertise in business & finance and experience in education, SPARK designs and delivers innovative programs (including after-school enrichment classes, workshops, and summer camps) at 300+ schools across the US (including many of the top institutions in the country) and globally

The New Jim Code: How Biased AI Increases Inequality

This workshop considers the ways that systemic racism and implicit bias impact the technologies that we use. Unfortunately, many citizens believe technology is neutral, but in reality it is heavily influenced by those who make it, the assumptions they make, and the history that it is built upon. Artificial Intelligence systems are often built on western-centric and biased data that produces inequitable and sometimes blatantly bigoted results. Surveillance technologies and the data produced by them negatively impact the most marginalized among us. From large language models (e.g. ChatGPT) and image generators, to job and mortgage screening algorithms, to facial and voice recognition AI, we already live with new black-box technologies that citizens don't fully understand. This course critically considers essential questions around new technologies related to ethics, equity, and justice in the hopes of graduating a new generation of civic and professional leaders equipped to push back against inequitable technology. It empowers learners to establish better, safer, and healthier connections to these new technologies and invites them to use their knowledge to help others.

*The course title was inspired by scholars Michelle Alexander and Ruha Benjamin and their critique of systems of social control.

Led by: Nate Green, Sidwell Friends Middle School Academic Technology Coordinator

Use your Voice: Ethical storytelling, media, and digital citizenship

This workshop builds on the foundation of internal clarity and focuses on responsible expression through ethical storytelling, podcasting, and digital media. Students explore digital citizenship, influence, and accountability while learning to communicate ideas thoughtfully and with integrity in public and online spaces. In my experience working with hundreds of students, many young people primarily engage with digital media as passive consumers, instead of active creators. This course helps students shift toward becoming active, ethical, and responsible creators. A central project involves creating a podcast (audio-only or audio/video), which can be completed individually, collaboratively as a class, or in partnership with a community or service-learning organization. This project supports both communication skill development and the creation of meaningful digital assets.