We realize the teenage years are critical ones for every young person, and many times they lack the necessary adult support, inspiration, confidence and skills to set and achieve meaningful goals. Each year, Project SUCCESS motivates and inspires nearly 12,000 middle and high school students in 16 Minneapolis and Saint Paul public schools to define their needs, work hard to live up to their potential and achieve their dreams, thereby improving academic performance, keeping them engaged in school and reinforcing positive behaviors. We do this through three inter-linked program services that are delivered continuously for as many as seven years of their life:
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. And all program components are designed to help students gain confidence in creative thinking, decision making, goal setting and resourcefulness while developing the skills to plan their future.
We are unique in that we
serve each student in every school we serve;
we are the only program with access to every English classrom every month for each student;
we work with students continuously for as many as seven years, from 6th grade through 12th grade;
we focus on the student's own short term and long term aspirations, including the possibility of college; and
we use the performing arts as a springboard for inspiration, confidence, creativity and discussion in the classroom and at home.
Goal-Setting Workshops are held monthly in each English classroom, for each student in every school we serve. Workshops are led by highly trained Project SUCCESS facilitators - with the endorsement of teachers and administrators - using our proven curriculum specifically designed for the students at each grade level. By spring of their senior year, we want all students to have a personal, post-high school plan that best suits their needs, personalities and goals. We call this process "dreaming with your eyes open," and 90% of participating students report taking a positive step toward achieving their goals. During the 2010-11 school year, we delivered 3,510 goal-setting workshops to more than 10,500 young people in 15 Minneapolis and Saint Paul middle and high schools.
Project SUCCESS uses professional theater to inspire students, help them look at the real-life issues they face, demonstrate they are members of a larger community and as a springboard for discussion in the classroom workshops and at home. We invite students and their families to at least 8 performances annually, thanks to more than 30 professional theater partners. We coordinate the entire experience, and eliminate barriers to family attendance at performances, including providing free transportation (thanks to our dedicated volunteer force) and child-care. During the 2010-11 school year, we, along with our theater partners, provided the opportunity for nearly 20,000 students and their families to attend 205 evening and weekend performances at professional Twin Cities theaters.
Special Programs and Services
Project SUCCESS offers special programs and services outside of the classroom, such as college tours, artistic experiences (e.g. artist residencies and Project SUCCESS-produces plays), week-long Boundary Waters canoe trips and weekly after-school one-on-one counseling sessions. These programs are designed to offer students more opportunities to refine and achieve their future goals, build confidence and leadership skills and take part in new experiences that will broaden their world-view and help them inform their future.
Over the course of a year students are afforded the following services:
Middle School
8-12 free professional theater performances - including free transportation to and from the performances and free child care
8 goal-setting, in-class workshops with a Project SUCCESS facilitator
8 phone calls or other communication from Project SUCCESS staff
2-3 other experiences, such as participating in a field trip to the theater or other artistic experience, or a trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area
High School
8-12 free professional theater performances - including free transportation to and from the performances and free child care
8 goal-setting, in-class workshops with a Project SUCCESS facilitator
8 after-school counseling and support sessions for post-secondary planning
Up to 30 college or community school tours
8 phone calls or other communication from Project SUCCESS staff
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.
You can learn even more about these programs by clicking on the links on the top right of this page.
"Goals. There's no telling what you can do when you get inspired by them. There's no telling what you can do when you believe in them. There's no telling what will happen when you act upon them." Jim Rohn
