Who?

High School Teachers & High School Sophomores, Juniors or Seniors.

What?

This year Carpenters’ Hall is leveraging its 2024 & 2025 national Young People’s Continental Congress with the launch of a complimentary Young Philadelphians’ Continental Congress leading into the Semiquincentennial. The Young Philadelphians’ Continental Congress (YPCC) strengthens the knowledge and power of history, increases understanding of our democracy, and galvanizes civic action for high school students and teachers. The Young Philadelphians’ Continental Congress supports the School District of Philadelphia’s goals for high school students in history, civics, and social studies.

In the spirit of the First Continental Congress, the 2025 delegates co-authored their own “Declaration of Aspirations.” Enjoy seeing and hearing this Declaration in their own words in this short video. And here is a two-minute news clip from ABC that has been running across the country about the 2025 Congress! 

Where?

The delegates convene inside Carpenters' Hall and neighboring institutions such as the Museum of the American Revolution, the National Constitution Center, the National Liberty Museum, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

When?

Delegates convene on five Saturdays from 9:30am until 3pm. Each session includes: morning snack, lecture, lunch, afternoon tour, educational programming, and plenty of time to network and engage with teachers, students, guest lecturers and professors! The five Saturdays are January 24th, February 7th, February 28th, April 11th, and April 25th.

Why?

Teachers benefit from this unique multi-month professional development and networking opportunity, while building relationships with Philadelphia’s key historic sites, museums and archives. High school students engage in cross-city dialogue among their peers and develop their own Declaration of Aspirations. YPCC creates a lasting impact for our high school students and teachers that will provide a deep appreciation of Philadelphia’s rich heritage and history, while launching their journey into a lifetime of civic engagement. As residents of the city where the United States was born, young Philadelphians are uniquely positioned to use the lessons of history to inform and fuel their active participation as American citizens. As Benjamin Franklin stated,  "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn."

This program is eligible for ACT 48 Credits. Teachers receive a $1,000 stipend and students receive a $500 scholarship for participating in this program.