How do we transform high schools?

We introduce a new character into high schools, a "Dream Director," who works hand-in-hand with the principal, teachers and community to help inspire students to believe in themselves and to see the world through a new lens of possibility. Dream Directors are leaders, coaches and imagineers -- people completely devoted to helping others put their dreams in action.

The Dream Directors have a number of tools they use to transform the school. Dream Directors match students with Coaches in the community who help the teenagers to explore their passions and build projects. Dream Directors run after-school workshops to teach the students the real-world skills they need to bring their ideas to life. They mobilize students to design and run school-wide campaigns that give students a chance to share who they are and what they believe in. The experience is different in each school (since no two schools are the same), but what unites all Dream Directors is their mission to unleash students and inspire them to be extraordinary.

So how's it working out?

Amazing. The Future Project, in its second year, is already impacting over 1,000 students in three states. Among The Future Project's Board Members and National Advisors are Timothy Shriver, Dan Pink, Bill Drayton, Caroline Kennedy, Sonal Shah, and Tony Wagner. We find that within one year, a Dream Director can make significant progress in helping students develop the confidence, 21st century skills, and passion they need to thrive both in the classroom... and beyond. One of our partner principals has stated that in twenty years of education, he has never seen anything, "so resourceful or so magical."