German Junior Academies
The German Junior Academies (DJA) are since 2003 running extracurricular program to promote particularly talented and motivated students of secondary education . It is based on the concept of the German Student Academy .
program
The JuniorAkademien are usually offered for individual federal states in the summer or autumn holidays and are organized by regional organizers in cooperation with the respective education ministries of the federal states. The scope, duration, prerequisites for participation, application process, costs and the type of implementation can differ from country to country. Uniform quality standards apply to all academies, and work is also coordinated in the office of the Deutsche SchülerAkademie.
In addition to the uniform quality standards, the goals of the junior academies of the federal states also match and are based on the many years of experience of the nationwide student academies for secondary level II . The promotion of particularly talented - and often under-challenged in school - students should challenge them intellectually and socially and, if necessary, push them to the limits of their capabilities. In addition, contact with similarly interested students is an important concern of the academies. The restriction to a group of participants from individual federal states should make it easier for the young participants to stay in contact even after the academy.
As with the student academies, the individual junior academies have a wide range of courses, ranging from natural sciences to the humanities and musical and artistic subjects, as well as numerous non-specialist courses. The spectrum ranges from music to sports, art and excursions.
Conditions of participation
Eligible are students of lower secondary level who have either been recommended by their school or who have qualified through successful participation in student competitions. For reasons of capacity, however, only a certain number of applicants can be accepted. Large parts of the costs are covered by the funds made available by public and private donors. The remaining excess of the participants can be reimbursed for social reasons.