PASE Network News

Brooklyn Debate League is recruiting rising 6th graders through rising 12th graders to participate in their free Summer Debate Camps. The middle school camp runs from July 6, 2026 to July 17, 2026 and the high school camp runs from July 20, 2026 to August 7, 2026. Both camps run from Monday – Friday from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM each day and are based out of St. Francis College (179 Livingston St, Brooklyn, NY 11201). Students will build confidence speaking in front of others while learning the fundamentals of debate, argumentation, and persuasive communication. Students of all experience levels are welcome. Learn more and apply via the digital application by April 15, 2026. 

The Jack Cooke Kent Foundation is seeking high-achieving 7th graders to be part of their Cooke Young Scholars Program, their pre-college scholarship program. The Young Scholars Program provides funding for academic and extracurricular opportunities, educational advising, annual summer programs, and networking opportunities with a community of high-achieving peers. For support and guidance with completing a competitive application, families and educators can attend a virtual application workshop webinar on April 18, 2026 from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Applications are due by April 29, 2026 via their digital application form. Questions can be sent to scholarships@jkcf.org.   

Youth ages 14-21 are invited to join DCTV for their Summer Media Intensive (SMI) program, a four-week, hands-on summer learning experience in filmmaking. This free summer opportunity will take place from July 6, 2026 to July 31, 2026 on Mondays through Thursdays from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM in lower Manhattan (87 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10013). This program is as challenging as it is fun, and participants will take their ideas on a journey from imagination to creation. Students practice pitching, operate cameras, learn interviewing etiquette, develop professional industry editing techniques, and gain media literacy skills from pre-production to post-production. The culminating screening at the end of the program is at DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema, an academy-qualifying theatre. All films created in the program are then submitted to film festivals all over the globe for a chance to win prizes and add to students' resumes. Get a snapshot of the program experience by watching a behind the scenes reel of the 2025 program. Ready to get started? Apply by April 15, 2026 via the digital application form. 

Brooklyn Children's Theatre is calling all rising 3rd-12th graders to apply for their 2026 Viola Davis Summer Program. The program runs between July 6, 2026 - July 31, 2026, and students get an opportunity to explore their creative side, make up characters, sing songs, develop storylines, forge new friendships, and write plays that will be produced as part of BCT's 2026-2027 season. The program is structured through four separate week-long camps, running between 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM each day at Brooklyn Children's Theatre (540 President Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215). More information is available via the BCT website. Partial and full scholarships are available, and families are encouraged apply for the scholarship lottery via this Google Form before March 30, 2026.

The Jed Foundation (JED) is now accepting applications for the summer 2026 cohort of the National Mental Health Youth Advocacy Coalition (YAC) Internship. YAC brings together young mental health advocates in a brave space to drive change through education, policy advocacy, media, and storytelling. This eight-week hybrid, paid internship trains undergraduate students in mental health advocacy and community outreach. Interns receive a structured curriculum, expert mentorship, and paid compensation to develop and launch their own strategic advocacy plans. Interns will participate in Advocacy Days on Capitol Hill (July 20, 2026 – July 23, 2026) and continue their advocacy throughout the 2026-2027 academic year. Head to the JED Website to learn more information and to apply by April 10, 2026 at 5pm.