HACIA Democracy's main focus, the Summit of the Americas, is an annual conference which simulates the proceedings of the Organization of American States (OAS). The conference is aimed at high school students interested in democratic advancement and development, and HACIA's founding members conceived of the organization in order to offer an educational experience that focused on domestic and regional issues in the Americas. Since its inception in May 1994, HACIA's staff and participants have continued to explore and address a diverse range of topics affecting countries in the Western Hemisphere.

The organization is based at Harvard University, and is staffed and entirely administered by Harvard undergraduates. HACIA also has a number of faculty advisers at Harvard who have an established academic interest in the American continent. The organization's staff is drawn from a wide variety of intellectual and cultural backgrounds who share a common interest in Latin American and international affairs. The staff and the Board of HACIA work throughout the year to deliver a successful conference every March. In addition, participating schools and a variety of institutions in the host country play an important role in the planning of the conference.

HACIA offers an unparalleled experience to all its participants. The collaborative arrangement between university and high school students is unique among government simulation conferences. The members of the group are interested in furthering democratic ideals, and as such, our primary goal is to provide student participants with an opportunity to discuss and practice democracy through different forums. As members of HACIA, we concentrate on the basic principles of democratic decision-making – cooperation, consensus, and negotiation – and maintain this focus throughout all aspects of the conference.