Carpenters’ Hall will host the Young People’s Continental Congress this week. | Photo: Michael Bixler

The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is on July 4, 2026. The many scheduled events leading up to the sequential include the Young People’s Continental Congress (YPCC) presented by Carpenters’ Company and National History Day. YPCC kicks off this week and is set to recreate the events of the First Continental Congress.

The First Continental Congress took place within Carpenter’s Hall as a reaction to the various acts and taxes imposed by the British government. In session from September 5 to October 26, 1774, it was succeeded by the Second Continental Congress which went on to declare independence from the British Crown in 1776 after the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775.

Students and educators will meet in Philadelphia this week to discuss and learn about the events leading up to the original Congress. YPCC will bring together children from high schools based in the original 13 colonies to conduct both independent and group research on the 56 original representatives, their roles, and politics. The program will be followed in July 2025 with a second YPCC, where a crop of students will be chosen through open enrollment and an application process that will attract participants from across the United States.

The central goal of the program is to “connect history to issues of contemporary relevance and engage young people in understanding and addressing them,” according to a YPCC press release. “In the 2018 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) Civics Assessment, over 75 percent of American students scored below proficient. According to the 2022 results, the nation’s score has declined since the 2018 evaluation,” according to the press release.

I have concerns about the long-term effectiveness of a program predicated around a singular event. I also wonder how it will impact children in Philadelphia who may not receive a well-rounded education in social studies and civics due to overcrowding and underfunding in certain city schools, which can lead to the lack of effective teaching.

I reached out to Ismael Jimenez, director of social studies curriculum for the School District of Philadelphia, who shared his thoughts and plans to bring these lessons to students beyond YPCC. “Teachers are taught and expected to engage students with thought-provoking conversations and critical thinking.” One of Jiminez’s programs, Invisible Architects of Freedom, is part of the School District’s initiative to unravel the myth around the country’s founding by poking holes in the narrative of America and highlighting the different voices and perspectives present during that time. He said students have latched on to this new approach with enthusiasm.

According to Jimenez, many Philly students feel disconnected from national history. In response, the School District plans to increase school trips and history-based events that have been otherwise underfunded and lacking.

Michael Norris, executive director of Carpenters’ Hall, said that there are ongoing goals to establish a local version of the program that will continue past 2026. It may include an after school program or history club to connect students with local history.

I spoke to a few educators in both primary and high school about their expectations of teaching social studies and the YPCC. Their comments ranged from not having the time to actually teach, poor parent participation, and the pressure to do well in the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment. When asked how students are responding to learning history, they stressed that extracurricular programs were quite beneficial, especially children belonging to marginalized groups. Programs such as Young Heroes Outreach Program hosted by The National Liberty Museum, History Hunters, Youth Reporter Program hosted by Stenton House Museum, and the PECO Family Membership program through the Museum of the American Revolution assist in bringing history into schools and to parents who are typically unable to meet teachers’ requirements.

I spoke with Liz Taylor, the Philly YPCC teacher representative from Julia R. Masterman School. She paraphrased a quote by historian Ira Berlin. “History is an argument about the past. It is important that students are able to tap into different arguments and find the sources of them so they can come up with their own conclusions and defend them.” Hopefully the YPCC program and the events leading up to the 2026 sequential, together with existing local programs, will be widely accessible for all Philadelphia students in the years to come.