NYLF National Security

Join the immersive National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF) on National Security. Gain insights into cyber security, intelligence, and defense, and learn from top national security professionals.

NYLF National Security is an eight-day exploration into the critical fields of national security. Held at Georgetown University, students engage with members of the intelligence community, like the CIA, civilian policy makers, and the Department of Homeland Security.
NYLF National Security NYLF National Security

Your Future in National Security Starts Here

Ready to navigate a national security crisis? NYLF National Security is your gateway to diplomacy, intelligence, and defense strategy, designed for ambitious high school students who dream of serving their country.

What Makes This Different? Navigate real crisis simulations, decode cybersecurity threats, participate in mock UN sessions, and develop policy recommendations—all taught by military officers, diplomats, and security professionals at Georgetown University and exclusive government sites.

Your Experience

  • Command high-stakes national security crisis simulations
  • Tour the Pentagon, State Department, and Arlington National Cemetery
  • Master diplomatic negotiation and intelligence analysis
  • Connect with future diplomats and national security leaders nationwide
  • Learn from NSA, World Bank, Peace Corps, and military representatives

Whether your passion lies in the State Department, intelligence community, military service, cybersecurity, or defense strategy, this program gives you the hands-on experience and insider perspective to make informed decisions about your national security career.

Don't just dream about serving your country—start leading with purpose.

Sample 2026 Schedule

Day 1: Welcome to the Fields of National Security and Foreign Affairs

  • Registration
  • Orientation and Introduction to Student Groups
    • Students will learn about the variety of opportunities
      available to them through speakers in the fields of cyber,
      defense, diplomacy, and intelligence. They will explore the
      key components of establishing a national security strategy
      and process how their leadership style would affect the
      implementation of a national security strategy.
  • Group Meetings
    • Scholars meet like-minded peers from around the country
    • Introduction to National Security

Day 2: Our Nation’s Security

  • Keynote Speaker: Jonna Mendez
    • Jonna, former Chief of Disguise for the CIA, shares her career journey and the various roles she served in while with the CIA. She describes her experience living under cover on her several tours in Europe, Asia, and Russia and how she applies her expertise as a consultant to the U.S. Intelligence community to this day.
  • Group Meetings
    • National Security Strategy Lessons
  • Focus on Careers
    • Launching a Professional Network
  • Group Meetings
    • National Security Strategy Lessons: Analyzing the 2021 Colonial Pipeline Hack
  • Diplomacy Plenary
    • Speaking event with Representative from U.S. Department of State

Day 3: Day of Exploration

  • Defense and Intelligence Site Experiences
    • Students will receive a firsthand view of the institutions that safeguard and shape our country through exclusive visits to some of the most influential sites in the nation’s capital.
      • U.S. Department of State
      • The Pentagon
      • U.S. Department of Homeland Security
      • *Site experiences may vary by program session.
  • City Exploration Experience
    • Old Town Alexandria
  • Group Meetings
    • Introduction to National Security Crisis Simulation
    • Scholar’s Presidential Election for Simulation

Day 4: National Security in Action

  • National Security Crisis Simulation
    • Students will participate in the National Security Crisis
      Simulation, where they will collaborate and strategize
      with their peers to resolve true-to-life major national and
      international crises.
    • Students will need to manage competing interests
      and collaborate with their peers to meet true-to-life
      security challenges. Students will draw upon skills such
      as communication, critical thinking, persuasion and
      responsible decision-making as they work with their peers.

Day 5: Day of Reflection and Remembrance

  • Keynote Speaker
    • Challenges and Opportunities: The Human Impact of National Security - The Wounded Warrior Project
  • Arlington National Cemetery
    • Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns
    • Wreath-Laying Ceremony
    • Kennedy Gravesites
  • The National Mall
    • Visit to a Smithsonian Institution Museum
  • Tributes to Valor and Sacrifice: Tour of Our Nation’s Memorials
    • Lincoln Memorial
    • Vietnam Veterans Memorial
    • Korean War Veterans Memorial
    • National WWII Memorial

Day 6: Day of Intelligence

  • Group Meetings
    • Leadership & National Security
    • Defining National Security Strategy
  • Intelligence Speaking Event
    • Experts in the field of intelligence will answer scholar’s questions and share insight on careers and opportunities of this in-demand field.

Day 7: Day of Defense

  • National Security Crisis Simulation
    • Students will continue their participation in the National
      Security Crisis Simulation, where they will collaborate
      and strategize with their peers to resolve true-to-life major
      national and international crises
  • Defense Speaking Event
    • Hear from experts in the field of defense who will answer
      student’s questions and share insight on careers and
      opportunities of this in-demand field.
  • Group Meetings
    • Gain important insights and debrief career experiences in a group activity.

Day 8: Looking Forward

  • Forum Debrief
  • Closing Ceremony: Path to New Beginnings
  • Departures

This sample schedule is provided as an example of the overall quality and scope of the experience offered and is not intended to represent a specific schedule for 2026. The specific 2026 schedule, locations, speakers, and site visits may be modified.

Go Beyond the Classroom

Envision by WorldStrides programs are held at some of the top universities in the country, providing high school students with the opportunity to experience life on a college campus and get a glimpse of what their future may hold.

This Summer, NYLF National Security will take place in the following locations:

Georgetown University

Georgetown University

Washington, D.C.

June 26-July 3, 2026 - Residential

July 5-12, 2026 - Residential

What's Included?

  • All curriculum and instruction
  • Program activities
  • Program materials
  • Site visits and events
  • At least two meals a day
  • Local transportation during program
  • The cost of two college credits
  • Certificate of achievement

Now I Know

Hear directly from NYLF National Security alumni about what they now know after attending the program and how it has helped inspire them to pursue their passion.

Take the Next Step

Thank you for your interest in NYLF National Security.
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