PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The FBI is now accepting applications for its Teen Academy program, which teaches high school students about the work the Bureau does.
This summer there are three teen academies for Philly-area students. In late June there’s one in Abington and one in York, and in August there’s one in Clarksboro, New Jersey.
Each teen academy is a two-day program. Applications for students in ninth through 12th grade can be found online and are open through April 30.
June 24–25 — Abington PA Teen Academy
June 26–27 — York PA Teen Academy
Aug. 6–7 — Clarksboro NJ Teen Academy
“The program really allows high school students an opportunity to get a comprehensive look into today’s FBI — what we’re doing on a day-to-day basis,” said Supervisory Special Agent Jeff Hunter, who oversees community outreach for the Philadelphia Division.
“We give students several presentations on a variety of topics and programs that might include terrorism, cyber crime, public corruption, our polygraph program, evidence response teams, our SWAT team.”
And with that assortment of topics, Hunter urges potential applicants not to think too narrowly about what working for the FBI might mean.
“This program is not exclusive to students that are only interested in criminal justice careers, and it’s not necessarily intended for students that are only interested in careers as an FBI special agent.”
Hunter says the FBI relies on a variety of professional staff positions, such as forensic accountants, computer scientists, intelligence analysts and paralegal specialists.
Community outreach programs like the teen academies help give the FBI a more visible presence, says Hunter.
“So we really want to get the word out to the community about what it is that we do, what we’re facing everyday, and how we can work with the community in a variety of different ways.”