The CASE Youth Leadership Summit uses this relational model of education to encourage mentorship and partnership between youth and mentors. 

This helps to build the socio-emotional and relational resilience of the next generation of leaders and creates a network of rural/remote/indigenous youth and the mentors invested in their futures.

CASE Youth Leadership Summit

We’re excited to announce that the CASE Youth Leadership Summit will be hosted at the Hollyhock Leadership Learning Centre on Cortes Island, from May 3rd to 8th, 2026.

At the Cortes Island Academy, education grows out of the people and places of the Salish Sea communities, designed by and for the people of these places. 

Are you interested in attending?

We’re still working out program details and organizing our workshop facilitators, and will have more information arriving in your email inbox and on our website soon.

Please email us at apply@cortesislandacademy.ca if you’re interested in finding out more, and feel free to share this email with anyone you think may wish to join us!

We had 28 youth attend our Summit in October 2024, and 20 of them filled out a feedback form about their experience. 

They overwhelmingly felt that after the program, they were more connected to their home program, to the youth who attended, and to their mentors/adults.

They felt more confident using their voice to support positive change, and felt they had developed new leadership and collaborative skills. 

About Us

Now entering our fourth year, Cortes Island Academy has welcomed students from across British Columbia and Internationally. 

Cortes Island Academy offers a one-of-a-kind, place-based high school experience. 

At the CIA, education goes beyond the classroom—students earn credits while engaging deeply with their environment, guided by scientists, local knowledge holders, and thought leaders.

CIA Fall Semester 2026/2027 

The theme for this fall is Underground Media. This is an Earth-based semester that explores the systems—ecological, cultural, political, and creative—that operate beneath the surface. 

Students investigate soil, fungi, land, power, hidden histories, and alternative forms of communication, asking how information moves, how narratives are shaped, and what remains unseen. 

Students are able to earn up to 24 credits in Life Sciences, English, Politics, Media, Outdoor Education, and Leadership. 

Why CIA?

Innovative education is essential, especially in rural areas. Cortes Island Academy provides an immersive, hands-on alternative to traditional high school, fostering critical thinking, leadership, and connection to place. 

Whether studying marine life in the field, producing investigative podcasts, or collaborating on community-driven projects, students graduate with knowledge, experience, and a deeper sense of purpose.

Four Years in - Thank you!

As we reflect on the last four years of Cortes Island Academy, we feel immense gratitude to our community - all of the hardworking facilitators, homestay families, students and parents (and many others). It’s only through the vision and dedication of those wanting more out of education that allow us to keep this mission moving forward.

The Cortes Island Academy is more than a school; it’s part of a movement toward experiential, place-based, and meaningful education for those determined to get more out of their high school experience. 

By filling a gap in rural education and providing access to students who otherwise wouldn’t have a school to attend, we can ensure our communities don’t lose the vitality and energy that our young people endow us with!

Want to be part of this transformative learning experience? Learn more and apply now!