Project Success-Students Undertaking Creative Control

Filing Period

Jul 1, 2010 to Jun 30, 2011

Signed

Nov 10, 2011

Return Version

2010v3.2

Gross Receipts

$1,322,049

Mission

Major Activities

Activity 2

Theater Experiences: Through our program, we have harnessed the power of theater as a tool to inspire students, help them look at the real-life issues they face, demonstrate they are members of a larger community and to act as a springboard for discussion in the classroom workshops and at home. We have cultivated partnerships with 33 professional theaters that donate large numbers of excellent evening and weekend theater tickets that we offer at no costs to students, families, and teachers. Before each school year begins, Project SUCCESS staff customizes seasons for each school, and coordinates the entire theater experience: we mail invitations to each student's household at least 8 and up to 12 times annually; we take ticket reservations; we eliminate barriers to family attendance at performances, including providing free transportation and child-care, and contacting families in their own languages; we are in the theater lobby before the curtain, welcoming students, teachers, and families, and distributing tickets; and we often facilitate post-play discussions with the actors and other theater staff and arrange back stage tours.Through Project SUCCESS, students and their families -- many of whom do not have the means to experience the Twin Cities' vibrant arts community -- attend diverse theater performances together, enriching their shared family and school community experiences and increasing opportunities for bonding interactions, which can lead to more positive family and school relationships.

Activity 3

Special Programs/Services: Through students' participation in workshops and theater experiences, they develop relationships with program staff and build trust. Our special programs, such as college tours, artistic experiences (e.g. artist residencies and Project SUCCESS-produced plays), week-long Boundary Waters canoe trips and weekly after-school one-on-one counseling sessions offered outside the classroom, are designed to sustain that trust, enhance our relationships with students, and 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. Middle school is a critical time for the building of confidence and self-esteem. Below are two examples of special programs that we plan, coordinate and implement:a) Annual Theatrical Performance Project SUCCESS produces the entire performance with the endorsement of the participating school. All youth who want to participate are given a role. Students work in front of and behind the scenes, working directly with professional directors and musicians and quality sound, sets and lighting. Teachers report students raising their grade point averages and becoming more motivated after being part of a Project SUCCESS musical.b) BWCA Adventures: Since 1999, Project SUCCESS has taken middle school students on a summer canoe adventure to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for seven full days. This year, Project SUCCESS brought 127 students from eight schools (29 students from Saint Paul). During the week, they develop positive behaviors and skills, such as goal-setting, leadership, teamwork, and communication skills -- building confidence and respect for the awesome beauty of the wilderness and a simple way of life, and a huge sense of accomplishment that has an amazing impact on their educational and personal growth.Project SUCCESS also designs special programming for high school students, including weekly one-on-one after-school post-secondary planning/counseling sessions, and college tours.

Filer

EIN

41-1837278