Human Rights Watch Student Task Force
A youth leadership and human rights advocacy training program, founded in 1999, that trains high school students to run cross-campus advocacy campaigns on issues like children's rights, housing justice, and climate education, alongside public-speaking and project-coordination training. Chapters operate at high schools in several cities, with students able to join via an online interest form even without an existing chapter at their school.
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Kemper Human Rights Education Foundation Essay Contest
An annual international essay contest run by the 501(c)(3) Kemper Human Rights Education Foundation (KHREF), inviting high school students in the U.S. and abroad to write on an assigned human rights prompt (a new question is posted each year). Winners in separate U.S. and international categories receive cash prizes up to $5,000.
ASCM Supply Chain STEM Educational Outreach Program
The Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM) offers a free K-12 outreach curriculum connecting core STEM concepts to real supply chain and logistics careers, delivered by volunteers or teachers in classrooms, clubs, or community organizations to build early awareness of the field.
American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)
An international nonprofit organization that trains and supports amateur and student astronomers in observing and reporting variable star brightness data used in real astrophysics research. AAVSO offers free beginner tutorials (including a no-equipment-needed 10-Star Tutorial), webinars, mentorship, and community forums for students starting in observational astrophysics.
Junior Paleontologist Program (National Park Service)
A National Park Service badge program in which students complete a free downloadable Junior Paleontologist activity booklet covering how paleontologists work, Earth's history, and ancient life, then mail it in to receive an official badge. It is part of the wider NPS Junior Ranger system and can be completed independently or after visiting a national park with fossil resources.
Planet Hunters TESS (Zooniverse)
A free online citizen-science project where volunteers examine light-curve data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) to help identify signals of possible exoplanets. Participant identifications have contributed to real peer-reviewed exoplanet discoveries, and an educator guide supports classroom or independent use.
American Anthropological Association Virtual High School Internship
A four-week virtual spring internship run by the American Anthropological Association in which high school students research contemporary anthropological scholarship and adapt it into public-facing content for a 6th-12th grade audience, alongside a rotating secondary project focused on accessibility or public education.