A Year in Review: Project Success Highlights and Impacts from the 2023-2024 Year
This past school year, 15,000+ middle and high school students and their families engaged in memorable moments and important milestones through Project Success programming and our proven DIG curriculum. We are excited to highlight some of the many ways that young people connected to their purpose this year – in both new and proven ways.
Workshops
In-class activities guide cumulative development, gaining tools, purpose, and confidence.
“Project Success is such a helpful program! I am so grateful to have been a part of this program for 3 years at my school. Project Success has helped me with my resume, job and career searching, and overall helping me understand more about the steps I want to take after high school to ensure a healthy and successful future.”
– Project Success Student
- 15,000 MPS Students Connected to their Purpose
- This school year, 15,000+ Minneapolis middle and high school students at 22 MPS schools engaged in more than 4,138 workshops led by our Project Success facilitators and in partnership with 176 MPS partner teachers.
- PS Now Connecting with 1,850 Mankato Students and their families
- PS and Mankato Area Public Schools launched a new partnership in January to bring the PS DIG curriculum to the district, including facilitating 200 total in-class workshops for 6th and 7th grade students this school year.
- PS Alumni Facilitators Making an Impact
Arts
Theater experiences create a springboard for discussion, inviting risk-taking and possibility.
“I never thought we’d get to have all of these opportunities… going to a recording studio and singing at a Twins Game… when I auditioned for the musical.”
– Anwatin Musical Student
- A Year of Theater Experiences for Students and Families
- Bringing Arts to MPS Schools and Students
- With our theater partners, PS brought 4,315 students and 600 teachers across 21 schools on 30 field trips to theater, dance, and music performances connecting students’ experience to their curriculum and learning in the classroom.
- Mankato Families Experienced Broadway Theater with PS
- In partnership with Hennepin Arts, PS brought 516 students and families from Mankato to attend Disney’s touring Broadway Musical “The Lion King” at The Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis.
- Three Middle School Musicals Helped Students Grow in Confidence
- 175 students participated in middle school musicals this year at Sanford, Northeast, and Anwatin Middle Schools. Learn more about what these musicals meant to them.
- Artist Residencies Immerse Students into the Performing Arts
- Project Success facilitated 6 Artist Residencies in schools, allowing students to learn from professional teaching artists right in their classroom.
- More than 10,300 students and family members attended 185 evening and weekend theater events this year, in partnership with our generous 50+ Twin Cities theater partners. Our 40 volunteer drivers helped us to provide free transportation to break down access barriers for families.
“I never thought we’d get to have all of these opportunities… going to a recording studio and singing at a Twins Game… when I auditioned for the musical.”– Anwatin Musical Student
Expeditions
Adventure trips to colleges, workplaces, cities, and nature settings open new perspectives for one’s
potential in the world.
“We are blown away with how capable she suddenly seems, how much knowledge she gained, and how great of a time it sounds like she had. She learned so much about herself and has gained so much confidence.“
– Parent of a Middle School BWCA Attendee
- Students Visualized their Post-Secondary Experiences on Campus Visits
- 475 high school students visited 18 Colleges, Universities, and Trade Schools this year. They learned about the different options available to them after graduation and gained skills in making conscious decisions for their futures.
- Students Explored Possibilities on Career Tour Days
- 532 middle school students attended 13 different career tour days hosted by Project Success in partnership with Cargill, Minnesota Twins, MN United, and Minneapolis Institute of Art. Students got to learn about careers and ask questions of current employees.
- Students Travel to Washington D.C. with PS and the Minnesota Vikings
- 11 students representing each MPS high school visited Washington D.C. on a trip with Project Success and the Minnesota Vikings. They toured Howard University, visited the National Museum of African American Heritage and Culture, and saw national landmarks. Read more about their trip!
- Families Enjoyed Getting Outside for Winter Adventure Day
- 63 middle schoolers and their families attended Winter Adventure Day at Theodore Wirth Regional Park. Students went snow tubing, experienced orienteering, and had fun with face painting and making s’mores.
- Pen Pal Program Forged International Connections
- 78 middle school students forged connections with students at partner schools in Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Sweden through the PS the Pen Pal Program this winter, Students exchanged letters and videos to learn more about each other and their cultures.
- Students Embarking on Wilderness Adventures
- 237 middle school students are traveling with PS to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area wilderness this summer to spend a week in the outdoors building confidence in themselves and community with their peers, in partnership with Wilderness Canoe Base. An additional 12 students are attending a trip to the Apostle Islands, which is an inclusive outdoor adventure trip for students with varying abilities.
- Outdoor Adventure Field Trips Teach Students New Skills
- 621 students participated in 10 school field trips to outdoor locations including Theodore Wirth Regional Park & Fort Snelling State Park.
- Science is All of Us Explored STEM Opportunities
- 143 students and their families participated in Science is All of Us at the Science Museum of Minnesota over four days, learning more about the diverse professionals that make up the science community.
Institute
Certificates and programs build critical life and career skills that enrich one’s independence.
“I see the institute as a great program to help [us] develop new skills and learn offering a lot of opportunities available to us right now and in the future. Making connection with professionals from that area and also developing the skills and in the future I see it as experience you can show in a resume for a job.” – Institute Student
- Institute Certificates Earned, Knowledge Gained
- 220 Students completed certificates of learning from the Project Success Institute in:
- Baking
- Cooking
- Money Management
- Bike Tech (in collaboration with Quality Bicycle Products‘ Break the Cycle Program)
- Creative Writing (in collaboration with The Loft Literary Center, new this year after student feedback!)
- Computer Coding
- Girls with Impact (hosted via the PS Institute, offered through Girls with Impact)
- Guest (and Student!) Instructors Share their Expertise
- 21 guest expert chefs and instructors shared their expertise in the Baking, Cooking, and Coding Certificates. Two of those guest experts were current PS students with experience in the fields – read more about those students and alumni instructors.
- Student Innovator Gatherings Guide Future Programming
- 18 students were a part of student innovator gatherings to discuss their vision for the Project Success Institute. Their feedback has directly impacted the Institute offerings and accommodations this year and will continue to do so for the future.
- “Day of” Institute Field Trips Provide Hands-On Learning
- Project Success hosted 4 “Day of” Field Trips with 52 students in partnership with MPS GEAR UP programming. These weekday events, such as “Day of Coding” offered high school students a focused exploration of career and life skills. Students experienced hands-on learning taught by subject matter experts.
As we wrap up this school year, the experiences and achievements we have shared with our students and families have left a lasting impact. We look forward to more programming this summer in our Arts and Expeditions programs and for the new opportunities that the next school year will bring!