Our Program

We realize the teenage years are critical ones for every young person. That is why our program is designed to serve each student for seven years from middle school through high school. The program is comprised of these components:

• Goal-Setting Workshops in the Classroom
• Theater Experiences
• One-on-One Assistance, College Tours and Special Programming

All components work within the Project SUCCESS philosophy, which is to provide a non-judgmental, supportive setting where students can speak out and be heard, and where they learn to assess themselves and their options regarding their future. All program components are designed to help your student gain confidence in creative thinking, decision making, goal setting and resourcefulness while developing the skills to plan their future.

Project SUCCESS offers students the opportunity to:

• learn about themselves;
• expand their horizons through theater, meeting new people and being exposed to key resources;
• create a work plan for their life in and out of high school;
• share memories and new experiences with their families;
• connect with a caring, skilled and supportive facilitator who can mentor and guide them to helping set and carry out their goals;
• take part in activities (theater, workshops, after-school guidance sessions) that lead to increased engagement in school; and
• participate in a program whose only focus is to help them succeed.

Project SUCCESS facilitators, with the endorsement of teachers and school administrators, lead workshops that are specifically designed for the students at each grade level. During the 2008-09 school year, we delivered 2,644 goal-setting workshops to more than 10,000 young people in eighteen Minneapolis and Saint Paul middle and high schools. Each child at every school participates in eight monthly workshops held during the school year. The workshops are integrated with the curriculum of English/Language Arts classes.

The curriculum guides young people through a variety of unique exercises, experiences and discussions to help them look at their interests, their strengths, and desires for the future. We then work with them to set specific goals and take particular steps towards those goals. We call this process "dreaming with your eyes open," and 90% of participating students report taking a positive step toward achieving their goals.

We believe in the power of theater to illuminate the world. We use professional theater as a springboard to inspire students and to help them look at the real issues they face. With the help of 27 professional theater partners, we offer students and their families the opportunity to attend between six and twelve theater experiences a year. These are not school field trips, but tickets to evening and weekend performances. We work with theaters to choose the appropriate plays, we coordinate every element of the experience including providing transportation and childcare, and facilitating post-play discussions with the performers and directors. During the 2008-09 school year, we, along with our theater partners, provided the opportunity for 22,183 students and their families to attend 160 evening and weekend performances at professional Twin Cities theaters.

One-on-One Assistance, College Tours, and Special Programming

High school students need attention and assistance planning for their future. So we offer a one-on-one counseling program in after-school sessions. Our facilitators help students with reviewing and filling out applications for college or financial aid, finding job opportunities and seeking the resources necessary to make life after high school a positive, productive experience.

As an important part of this one-on-one assistance, Project SUCCESS offers over 40 state and national college tours annually to participating high school students. During the 2008-09 school year, our staff took 378 high school students on college and university tours in Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin.

Other specialized programming we offer includes:

• annual Project SUCCESS-produced theatrical performances;
• summer canoe trips to the BWCA;
• all-school field trips to the theater; and
• special artist residency programs.