Meet your Premise instructors
Premise for Teens
What does it mean to be human in a world shaped by technology?
You know something's off. The constant comparison, the performance, the sense you're being optimized for someone else.
You're not wrong.
What you need isn't more information. It's space to think clearly. And people who take your thinking seriously.
Over five days, we will ask these questions through philosophical frameworks: When are you choosing freely, and when is technology choosing for you? What makes a friendship real? Who benefits from your attention?
You'll find language for what you believe. Mostly, you'll have something rare: a room full of people genuinely curious about your answers.
What is Premise for Teens?
Premise is for you if..
You're a rising senior or junior who is:
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Curious about the human impact of technology (especially if you love STEM but want the humanities perspective)
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Asking big questions about identity, values, meaning, and the future
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Ready for serious intellectual conversation with peers
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Interested in philosophy but not sure where to start
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Looking to develop your voice and communication skills
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Willing to engage authentically, not just perform for a grade
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No philosophy background required. Just genuine curiosity.
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01
Philosophy & Ethics for Your Actual Life
You'll learn ethical and philosophical frameworks (virtue ethics, consequentialism, care ethics) and apply them to questions you face right now: friendship, identity, agency, justice.
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Small Group Discussion, Not Lectures
This is the space to introduce the business and what it has to offer. Define the qualities and values that make it unique.
03
Published Work With Mentorship
You create something meaningful during the week and spend a month refining it with one-on-one support before publication. Your thinking becomes part of a larger conversation about what it means to be human in our modern world.
04
Skills for an Uncertain Future
In uncertain times, we'll need people who can think critically through complexity, communicate clearly across difference, and listen deeply to what they don't yet understand. You'll develop these essential skills through practice, not lecture: articulating nuanced thinking, engaging perspectives different from your own, and learning that understanding matters more than winning.
05
Yes, This Helps With College Applications
You'll explore colleges where discussion-based learning and philosophical inquiry are central, helping you find schools that match how you actually want to learn. Every student who completes the program receives a letter of recommendation highlighting their intellectual contributions and communication skills that can be used in the college application process, and your published work gives you something authentic to discuss in essays and interviews.
Robin Workman
Lead instructor & program co-creator
Robin Workman has spent over 20 years teaching high school students how to think clearly about hard questions. As a humanities educator specializing in ethics, philosophy, and critical thinking, Robin creates classroom spaces where students learn to articulate complex ideas, listen across difference, and examine what it means to live with integrity. Robin has designed and taught discussion-based courses on everything from Buddhist philosophy to technology ethics, always focused on helping students connect ancient wisdom to modern dilemmas. Students describe Robin's teaching as the rare place where their thinking is taken seriously and they learn to use their voice with confidence. Robin believes every teenager is a philosopher—they just need the right questions and the space to explore them.
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Mary Finn
Premise founder & instructor
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Check back soon for more instructors and mentors
We're assembling a team of educators and practitioners with deep expertise in philosophy, technology ethics, and communication skills. Guest speakers and mentors will bring diverse perspectives from academia, the tech industry, and educational innovation. All share a commitment to taking teenage thinking seriously and helping students develop their voice. More details coming soon.
Program Details
Session Dates & Times
Session 1: July 13-17, 2026
Session 2: July 20-24, 2026
Morning group sessions meet from 10am-1PM PST
Students have meetings with creative project mentors in the afternoon and structured work time on their pieces.
Program size
We cap enrollment at 12 to 15 students, accepting rising juniors and seniors only. This size ensures every voice is heard in discussions, creates space for genuine intellectual exchange, and allows for individualized attention on creative research projects. Small cohorts mean your facilitators and mentors actually know your thinking and can support your growth.
Program Cost
The program costs $1,500 per session.
We offer a 20% early bird discount for students who enroll before March 15th.
Program Format
All sessions take place on Zoom and are discussion-based, led by expert facilitators who specialize in philosophical inquiry with teens. Morning sessions (10:00am to 1:00pm Pacific Time) bring the full cohort together for guided dialogue, with two short breaks to keep engagement high.
Afternoons are dedicated to developing your creative research project through a combination of small group workshops and individual one-on-one sessions with creative research mentors. This blend of collaborative feedback and personalized support ensures your published work reflects your strongest thinking.