— The Application Window for Spring 2024 is closed – Next application round will be during the Fall of 2024 —

Fostering Global Citizenship and Diplomatic Skills with Ambassadors: Get Exclusive Access to the Front Row of Diplomacy

CSDC Youth Academy is an initiative affiliated with CSCD that offers students with a genuine interest in diplomacy and international affairs, a unique opportunity to gain first-hand insights into globally significant political issues. The Youth Academy offers incisive insights and unique networking opportunities to students concerned with global developments in business, science, technology, and politics.

Combining our significant connections with Danish businesses, the government and parliament, and the 67 embassies located in Denmark, we now after several successful years offer you the opportunity to take advantage of CSDC’s extensive network and experience in diplomacy, business, and research to further your knowledge within a wide range of global topics such as diplomacy, national security, and development policy.

As a member of CSCD Youth Academy, you:

• Attend exclusive meetings with ambassadors, government officials, academic researchers and prominent politicians
• Become part of a network of future leaders and change-makers as well as established diplomats and experts
• Get a chance to positively impact your future career through an in-depth understanding of the international diplomacy arena
• The opportunity to build an invaluable professional network before ending your studies

Have Tea with the Ambassador

Our purpose is to promote awareness of globally significant political issues and to foster a spirit of diplomatic dialogue and cultural exchange among impact-driven students and the 67 embassies that reside in the Kingdom of Denmark. “Have Tea with the Ambassador” is a rare concept where a selection of the world’s greatest and most influential embassies invites our selected students to visit the inside world of diplomacy. Through the Youth Academy, you will meet and greet 5 of the most interesting ambassadors in Denmark per semester. This gives you a unique chance, over a cup of tea, to practice your diplomatic skills in real-life settings and surroundings.

As a member of the CSCD Youth Academy, you get an unmatched opportunity to:

• Access the 67 embassies and the diplomatic community in Denmark
• Practice your diplomatic skills
• Obtain real hands-on experience
• Learn how to use and harness the information and knowledge absorbed throughout the program as data for academic writing, including the possibility of using it for your BA or MA thesis

Certificates

As a certified student with papers from CSCD, you will have the rare opportunity to engage on a one-to-one basis with diplomats and foreign affairs experts and participate in immersive events, including speaker events, workshops, and other exclusive networking opportunities for members of the Youth Academy. Distinguished guests will discuss international affairs and share their perspectives to inspire and cultivate a multifocal perspective that prepares future leaders for the challenges of an ever-globalizing society.

Participating students will receive certificates upon completion of the programs. The certificate will:

• Highlight the skills attained by the students throughout their time at the Academy
• Be signed by the involved ambassadors
• Endorse the student as a member of the CSCD community with free access to most of CSCD’s future events
• Provide the student with a CSCD-pin, to wear as proof of finishing the diplomatic program and gain access to future events

Membership

Memberships of the CSCD Youth Academy are reserved for impact-driven students and young professionals with a genuine interest in international diplomacy and with potential aspirations of pursuing a career within international affairs at government or multilateral institutions. Members are primarily undergraduates and graduates from leading universities in Denmark concentrating in the fields of political science, public policy, law, and economics. Young professionals with interest and/or experience in those fields are also welcome to apply.

• Membership is semester-based, rotating in alignment with the universities.
• Membership is 625 DKK (incl. 25% VAT) per semester, which covers catering and other direct costs during meetings with experts and five visits to embassies located in Copenhagen, the official certificate signed by the ambassadors involved, and an official CSCD-pin to wear as proof of completion and to gain access to workshops and future speaker events.

How to Apply

To apply for membership, you must write a 400-500 words long motivated application letter, explaining why you want to be accepted as a member and include:

• The reason you want to become a member of the CSCD Youth Academy
• Your education and/or employment, interests, and experiences within the relevant fields for the Youth Academy
• Your ambitions for your future career

Both students and young professionals can apply, and we urge everyone; national Danes and international exchange students alike, to apply and look forward to receiving your application!

*the application deadline for the spring semester of 2024 was February 11th.

Connect with our Youth Ambassadors and ask questions directly on LinkedIn: CSCD Youth Academy | LinkedIn

Testimonials from participants in the CSCD Youth Academy

“The course gave me a unique insight into the inner workings of several foreign embassies operating in Denmark. I highly recommend the course to any student of the social sciences; you will get to know many like-minded fellow students, and the practical nature of the insights gained from the course are a wonderful supplement to the theory-oriented courses in university “.

– Mathias Kaa Andersen, B.A. student in Political Science at Uni. Cph. (KU)

“The CSCD Youth Academy facilitated interaction with ambassadors and diplomats in Denmark, giving real-life experience and valuable insights on crucial issues in the current global space. The program presented an opportunity to be part of a wide network of practitioners, significantly contributing to my growth and passion in the field and orient my learning and practice based on practical knowledge and insights.”

– Arezo Hamid, M.A. degree in Political Science at Uni. Cph. (KU)

CSCD works closely with selected partners and we extend our deepest appreciation and thanks to all involved embassies, ambassadors, and partners that we have worked closely with during several successful events, including representatives from:

• The Danish Parliament (Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, MP, Mr. Martin Lidegaard) / Folketinget
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (H.E. the Danish Arctic Ambassador Mr. Thomas Winkler) / Udenrigsministeriet, UM
• The Danish Chamber of Commerce / Dansk Erhverv
• Danish Shipping / Danske Rederier
• Confederation of Danish Industry / Dansk Industri, DI

CSCD further looks forward to collaborating with CSCD Youth Academy, which represents highly talented students with an interest in diplomacy, international relations, foreign policy, security policy, etc, who are set out to be future diplomats, decision-makers, politicians, stakeholders, and researchers.

These thousands of active students are respectively members of the following student organizations at universities in Denmark:

• ID – International Debat (the biggest student association @University of Copenhagen)
• POLIS (POLitical science, It-management and Social Sciences @Aalborg University)
• ELSA Copenhagen (The European Law Students’ Association @Copenhagen)
• And other student organizations