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Enact change and take action on the biggest issues of our time with a community of people who care as deeply as you do.
“ [This Institute was] instrumental in helping me determine what I wanted to do with my future career, and helped me develop some great interpersonal skills. It was an incredible experience to be able to meet with professionals who work in making change and to have the intensive college-like experience to explore.”
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At the Global Issues and Youth Action Institute you will explore the political, environmental, and social issues of our time. Through discussion, collaboration, and action, you will join a community of motivated youth who work together to make the world a better place. You will examine topics society is facing, such as justice, housing, race, gender, sexuality, climate change, economics, and more. Find your niche in making positive change and learn from activists around the world leading important movements and catalyzing a more informed future.
Thursday, July 9th – Sunday, July 19th, 2026
@ Champlain College
Burlington, VT
All students who apply to this Institute can make use of our sliding scale tuition model. GIV’s sliding scale tuition essentially acts like an automatic scholarship to automatically reduce tuition costs without the need for additional paperwork or outside sources. For information regarding this Institute’s sliding scale tuition support, please click here.
The Governor’s Institutes of Vermont is a non-partisan organization. As such, we encourage applicants from a variety of perspectives, and we welcome ideological diversity.
Because of the interactive and interconnected nature of our time together, students who attend the Institute are expected to make a full-time commitment to the program and to their own learning and development.
We welcome applicants who are…
Check out this media from recent years of the Institute.
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Global Issues & Youth Action Institute Photo Album 2025 / 2024 / 2023
Every day is a unique experience filled with expert-led instruction, hands-on investigation, field trips, and immersive learning. We work to build a community around our experiences and share in our passion for everything we explore. Field trips, guest speakers, group challenges, and GIYA-signature events make every day unique.
**The schedule is slightly different each year and announced when you arrive!
GIV’s supportive Institute structure is endlessly enriching, empowering, and engaging.
7:30 AM: Breakfast
8:30 AM: Community Meeting
9:00 AM: Student-Selected Classroom Topics
11:00 AM: Guest Speakers
12:00 PM: Lunch & Free Time
2:00 PM: Afternoon Workshops
4:30 PM: Dialogue Groups
5:30 PM: Dinner & Free Time
7:30 PM: Nightly Activities and Social Events
9:00 PM: End of Day Wind Down
To ensure cross-cultural dialogue, the Global Issues & Youth Action Institute often includes groups of international students. If your group is interested in partnering, please reach out to us at [email protected]
Emilie Kornheiser comes to her work with a passion for supporting and amplifying community voices– asking communities to own and tell their own stories in order to facilitate shared visions and outcomes. For the last decade, she has focused on improving the functioning and accountability of community development and support systems in Vermont state government as a state legislator and as a nonprofit consultant and employee. She has worked with young parents at her local Parent Child Center, with teens as workforce development director at Youth Services, and as a full time consultant with Youth Collaboratory, a national organization that places youth at the center of decision making. Before transitioning to local service, she worked internationally as a consultant brokering and evaluating partnerships between corporations and national governments to meet community development goals.
Ms. Kornheiser received her BA in Sociology from Marlboro College and attended the MS program in Community Development and Applied Economics at the University of Vermont. She has served overseas promoting democracy and supporting small business and civil society development, and she has held numerous positions at community-based organizations throughout Vermont. She also started her own small business in downtown Brattleboro. Emilie continues to work with organizations both public and private that put connection at the center of skills building, accountability, and economic justice.
Emilie and the Global Issues & Youth Action Institute team can be reached at [email protected]
