Manage Project LAUNCH – a life changing mentoring program that focuses on inspiring high school students to value their educations and realize their highest potentials.
Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) seeks a creative and enthusiastic self-starter to join the Ware Institute team as the program coordinator for Project LAUNCH, a mentorship program addressing the academic, social and developmental needs of high school students in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Project LAUNCH matches F&M first-year students with rising freshmen at McCaskey High School, and focuses on bringing students together to realize their LAsting potentials, UNiting strength and ability to CHange. The program begins with a four-day retreat, during which both groups of students engage in experiential learning workshops and out door adventure activities like kayaking, ropes courses and rock climbing. Workshops focus primarily on developing self-esteem, self-efficacy and social acuity. The four-day experience creates a strong team bond among participants and fosters the development of meaningful mentoring relationships. The program then continues by way of bi-monthly meetings between mentors and mentees. The first meeting each month is devoted to workshops, while the second provides and outlet for fun or service-related group activities. These meetings continue for the entirety of the mentor and mentee’s college and high school experiences.
McCaskey High School is a Title 1 School at which over 77% of students qualify as ‘low income’ and only 65% of incoming freshmen finish high school. Project LAUNCH participants are those who statistically fall through the cracks and do not receive the support necessary to make good choices academically, socially or otherwise. By providing increased exposure to F&M and its students, Project LAUNCH serves to bridge the achievement gap for its students, while simultaneously arming them with the tools necessary to succeed despite adversity.
During the 2011-2012 school year, you will be responsible for 25 high school students (freshmen and sophomores) and 29 F&M students (first-years, sophomores and facilitators), and will devote at least four evenings per month to workshops and events. Accordingly, you will focus your efforts on 1) developing LAUNCH curriculum; 2) training LAUNCH facilitators and college first-years for interaction with and constructive development of “at risk” students; 3) partnering with the School District of Lancaster (SDoL) and the Project LAUNCH Advisory Council (PLAC) to create sustainable and lasting connections; 4) running workshops and organizing retreats, activities and events; and 5) quantitatively evaluating programming. Working closely with Ware Institute staff, you will deepen the Ware Institute’s existing relationship with the Lancaster community by providing and developing a positive and consistent program for some of its most vulnerable young people.
