Summer Policy Institute 2025 is almost here! SPI is a convening focused on policy, where participants will learn the ins and outs of policy change, as well as crucial skills rooted in community engagement and grassroots mobilization. Policy sessions will equip participants to focus on defining the problem as a key first step before progressing to proposing solutions. Fully finalized policy ideas that emerge from SPI will be directly connected to the people most impacted.
This year we are excited to announce a Public Education as our policy focus. We will learn about policy writing, research, coalition building, power mapping, and other helpful data-driven skills through the lens of public education.
Applications open March 17. To apply, please complete this Google Form and submit your brief letter of interest to summerpolicyinstitute@gmail.com. The application deadline is April 25, 2025.
SPI brings together highly qualified traditional and non-traditional undergraduate students, graduate students, and policy-curious people of all ages to build policy knowledge, leadership skills, and networks. If you care about helping West Virginians thrive, this is the training for you!
The convening is co-hosted by the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy and the American Friends Service Committee.
Attendees will meet West Virginia leaders from government, non-profit advocacy, and grassroots organizing spaces to build relationships and networks.
Throughout the convening, participants work in small teams to identify and develop policy proposals to shape the future they want to see in the Mountain State, culminating in team “policy pitches” to community leaders. Sessions will equip participants to focus on defining the problem as an essential first step before progressing to proposing solutions. This will ensure that no fully finalized policy ideas emerge from SPI without authentic engagement–and ideally partnership–with the people most impacted.
Many SPI attendees have gone on to continue advocating for their policy ideas and to hold internships with West Virginia non-profits and in state government.
There will be full days of live content and team work from June 27–29.
Leading up to the policy pitch competition, teams will develop their policy proposals with support from our coaches and issue area experts, as well as have the opportunity to practice their policy pitches before they present to our judges. For a more detailed explanation of what policy proposal development will entail, please refer to this document.
There is no cost to attend! It is required that participants attend all sessions during the three-day convening.
If there are any learning/disability accommodations you need us to provide to be able to fully participate in the event, please reach out to summerpolicyinstitute@gmail.com. Please keep in mind that this year we will be returning to an in-person conference and will not have virtual programming options available.
You’d be a great fit for SPI if you:
To apply, please complete this Google Form and submit your brief letter of interest to summerpolicyinstitute@gmail.com. The application deadline is April 25, 2025. We hope to hear from you!
