Mission and Purpose
Project SUCCESS is a youth-development organization that works with students over a seven-year period, from middle school through high school, to help them develop life skills that can transform their lives. Through in-school goal-setting workshops, an innovative theater program, and special programming/services, students learn to make informed choices and plan for their future.
Program Description
We are a non-profit organization that serves over 10,000 kids in both Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
Because we realize the teenage years are critical ones for a young person, our program is designed to serve young people from middle school through high school. The program is comprised of these components:
• School-based workshops
• Theater experiences
• One-on-one assistance
• Additional programming
All components work within the Project SUCCESS philosophy, which is to provide a non-judgmental and supportive forum where students can speak out and be heard and where they can learn to assess themselves and their options before making decisions about their future.
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.
"Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success." Stephen A Brennan
What Students Say About Project SUCCESS
"What we talk about is amazing. Project SUCCESS teaches us how to take the time to think about our goals, to find ways to accomplish them in a timely manner, and to ask for the help that we really need."
"Project SUCCESS helped me really figure out my dreams and how to achieve them."
"It helped me feel better about myself."
"They taught me to let my voice be heard."
"Project SUCCESS helped me feel like I could do what I wanted to and made me feel a lot better about college."
"Project SUCCESS was the first 'group of people' that made me put my goals on paper and made them a lot more realistic for me."
"It's fun, informational, and gives us a chance to make our own decisions for our future."
"It helps you out and gets you ready, not scared...ready to go."
"Project SUCCESS helped me focus on my goals and stay with it."
"Project SUCCESS helped me to not feel so overwhelmed and know I can get it all done."
"Project SUCCESS inspired me to research colleges, where I first heard of St. Thomas, where they took me on a tour, where I was accepted. They helped and encouraged me to find scholarships; I will now be attending St. Thomas for free because of the City of Minneapolis Scholarship."
"Project SUCCESS believes in me."
"Project SUCCESS showed me that in order to survive I need an education."
"What I liked about Project SUCCESS is the class activities, which is really fun and I had a great time."
"Project SUCCESS helped me to get along with others better."
What the Community Says About Project SUCCESS
"Project SUCCESS is doing revolutionary things here. I know it because I can see the change in my students who have finally 'plugged' into a particular book, play or issue. I have seen students find their voices and begin to shine. Anwatin would be much worse off if Project SUCCESS had not invested in us."
- Kate Andrew, Teacher, Anwatin Middle School, Minneapolis
"Project SUCCESS is filling a void in the lives of young people, a serious void that must be filled in order that our students can look forward to meaningful, productive lives."
- Cheryl Creecy, Former Deputy Superintendent Minneapolis Public Schools
"Project SUCCESS is truly dedicated to increasing access to theater for some of our most needy inner-city children and their families. We have partnered with Project SUCCESS for nearly eight years and have seen first hand the way in which they work to change the lives of kids through theater."
- Tom Hoch, President, Hennepin Theatre Trust
"I am absolutely delighted to have the privilege of welcoming thousands of Project SUCCESS students and their families to the Guthrie each year. It is especially gratifying for me personally to know and to trust that the experiences these students have at the Guthrie become the seed for their own imaginations to take over - and are put to use for thoughtful and careful planning of their own lives."
- Sheila Livingston, Co-Director of Education and Community Partnerships, Guthrie Theater
"Project SUCCESS makes the classroom a place dedicated to the visions and futures of children in ways it is difficult for a teacher alone to accomplish. This is the aspect I am most thankful for...a service I never allowed myself to anticipate because it is so ideal, so perfectly aligned with the needs of our children."
- George Roberts, Former English Teacher, North High School, Minneapolis
"Our students, many of whom are at risk of failure, need much more goal-oriented counseling than schools can normally provide. We have only one school counselor for 420 kids. The theater and standards-based aspect of the workshops will are valuable, but equally important is the component that gets kids focused on knowing what their own goals are, and how to move ahead to reach them."
- Mary Williams, Former Principal, Humboldt Junior High, St. Paul
