Students focus on their paintings as others hustle and bustle around them. Taken at the Governor’s Institutes on the Arts Vermont in the 2000s.
The Governor’s Institutes of Vermont (GIV) continues to grow in its 40th year. Representing almost every high school in Vermont, 511 rising 10th-12th graders will attend one of the eight Governor’s Institutes of Vermont programs. Students will spend 1-2 weeks on a college campus diving deeply into career-oriented topics that interest them: Arts, Engineering, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Science & Technology, Global Issues & Youth Action, Health & Medicine, Mathematical Sciences, and Technology & Design.
GIV was started 40 years ago when Vermont’s Commissioner of Education and the Director of the Vermont Arts Council recognized an extraordinary deficit in arts education in the state’s public schools. The Governor’s Institute on the Arts was established to address that need with the blessing of then-Governor Richard Snelling. This makes GIV one of the longest-running Governor’s Schools in the country.
In these 40 years, GIV has added institutes that focus on the intersection of student interests and Vermont workforce needs. With contributions from many local professionals, schools, colleges, businesses, and organizational partners, the GIV Institutes are able to deepen the education of teens throughout the state. Since its inception, over 12,000 students have embraced this unique opportunity.
The students attending this summer will be able to dip their toes into professions they may choose to pursue throughout their lives. Last year, 88% of students reported some type of influence on their college and/or career future plans. Equally important, GIV students are supported by faculty with experience in the field and peers with similar interests. After the intense isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, making new friends has become one of the most valuable parts of students’ experience.
When students were asked what was surprising for them, one student responded: “How accepting everyone was and how many like-minded people [there] are out there.” Every year, a shocking number of students and families describe GIV as being life-changing.
Thanks to generous individual, business, and foundation donors, GIV is able to provide a sliding scale financial aid model where no student is ever refused on the basis of cost. In fact, more than 80% of students receive tuition assistance. The Governor’s Institutes of Vermont is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that welcomes business sponsorships and individual donations to help fund GIV’s efforts. If you are in a position to give, please call 802-865-4448 or visit www.giv.org/support.