Young Diplomats of Utah

The Young Diplomats of Utah enables high school students to engage with the global community in their hometown. World affairs is the fundamental basis of our program - we introduce youth to the knowledge and resources to develop their leadership skills and combine this understanding with field experiences, including cultural awareness, lectures, diplomacy simulations, and volunteerism and service projects. The results are youth who are committed to civic activism, engaged with Utah's diverse peoples, and practicing our guiding principle of citizen diplomacy - the concept that we all have the right and responsibility to help shape foreign relations one handshake at a time.

The Young Diplomats of Utah is open to all high school students in the state of Utah.

Become a Young Diplomat of Utah

The Young Diplomats of Utah program fosters future leaders by introducing them to diverse cultures and communities, international relations and world affairs, and the humanities.

Qualifications

Young Diplomats of Utah must meet the following requirements:

Attend a high school in Utah,
Commit to participate in a number of globally focused activities, averaging 1-hour per week,
Attend 75% of biweekly meetings throughout the year,
Attend 3 of 4 weekend workshops throughout the year.

The application for the 2021/22 cohort of Young Diplomats of Utah is now open!

Apply Now!

If you have questions about the Young Diplomats of Utah program, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Upcoming Events

Join UCCD and the United States Department of State in conversation with Eman Borg, a leading LGBTQ rights activist from Malta! Through this classroom initiative, students will learn about global issues firsthand while building their own leadership skills; and International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumni will strengthen their ties with Americans and deepen their links to U.S. culture and society.

Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy, in partnership with Cultural Vistas and the United States Department of State, is hosting a pilot conversation between Utah high school students and Eman Borg, a prominent LGBTQ rights activist in Malta.

This virtual activity will engage IVLP alumni with students aged 12-19. This discussion is free and open to any interested students. Be a part of a new initiative by RSVPing today!

Leadership Certificate

The Young Diplomats Leadership Certificate is a self-tracking certification program that empowers youth to grow as globally engaged citizens by enhancing their cultural awareness, developing their leadership skills, and connecting them to the community through volunteerism and service. Once a youth participant earns 100 points, they will receive a certificate that complements their resumes and applications for school, internships, and employment. Certificates are awarded at our annual volunteer and donor appreciation luncheon held in late spring.

By earning the Young Diplomats Leadership Certificate, youth can expect to

Enhance their understanding that Utah is a global community;
Deepen their understanding of world affairs through lectures, dialogues, and other cultural learning opportunities;
Develop and increase leadership skills encouraging critical thinking and problem-solving skills, collaboration, and diplomatic negotiations.

Current Young Diplomats can learn more in the Young Diplomats of Utah handbook. Also, you may us this link to submit points.

Academic WorldQuest

Academic WorldQuest, a global knowledge competition for high school students, becomes more fun & fierce each year as foreign policy buffs, United Nations enthusiasts, young international entrepreneurs, global change agents, and the universally curious mix, mingle, laugh, and compete for Academic WorldQuest domination.

Teams of four students compete by answering a set of questions in various global categories. Our talented emcees read each question and four multiple-choice options, which are also projected by PowerPoint onto screens. After each set of category questions, your answer sheets are collected by the scorekeepers, and then the emcees review the questions with the correct answers, so you know how your team is doing in real-time.

Utah’s 2021 Academic WorldQuest competition took place on March 19,2021. We are so thankful for the incredible teams who competed, and will be cheering on the winners as they head to nationals!

Learn More