Project Me Foundation Inc.
MASTER SELF • SERVE THE WORLD • LEAD THE FUTURE
MASTER SELF • SERVE THE WORLD • LEAD THE FUTURE
Helping young people put in the work and build a steadier future.
Mission & Purpose
Project Me Foundation Inc. works with young people ages 13 to 24 who are trying to move through some of life’s hardest transitions.
Our mission is to help them build stable, self-directed lives through steady mentorship and practical support, with the right resources available when they are needed.
We meet young people where they are without pretending that where they are is where they have to stay. Progress takes support and honest expectations. It also takes the willingness to keep trying.
We work with young people who are growing into adulthood while carrying system involvement, instability, or both.
Young people leaving child welfare who may be expected to handle adulthood without a dependable safety net.
Youth and young adults dealing with re-entry or court involvement, including probation and the work of rebuilding afterward.
Young people who need steady guidance and useful skills. They also need adults willing to expect more without giving up on them.
Our work begins before crisis and continues through re-entry and the long haul afterward. We use practices supported by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Justice, along with lessons learned through lived experience.
We listen first. Then we help each participant build a routine and face choices honestly. The skills needed to move forward are practiced along the way.
Development
We start with what a young person can do and help turn that ability into steady progress.
Support
We understand that behavior has a history. Care matters, but so do boundaries and consistency.
Readiness
Expectations should be clear and fair. They should also fit the participant’s individual situation and readiness.
In Oneida County, New York, hundreds of young people are involved in child welfare and juvenile justice systems each year. At any given time, approximately 400–450 youth up to age 21 are in foster care, which is consistently above the New York State average.
Many reach adulthood without stable housing or financial security, and some have no one to call when something goes wrong. Trauma and family instability may already be present when interrupted schooling or behavioral health needs are added.
Young people are often handed adult responsibilities before anyone has helped them build adult tools.
Problems at home and school often feed into health concerns or justice involvement.
A real transition needs more than a discharge date. It needs a workable plan and steady follow-through from someone who notices when a young person starts slipping.
These issues reflect service gaps identified by OCFS, OJJDP, and DOJ as critical intervention points, especially during system exit, re-entry, and early adulthood development.
Project Me Foundation Inc. steps into the gap between a closed case and a stable life. We provide steady guidance and structure while young people learn to take responsibility. From there, they can break old patterns and build better ones that last.
Clear routines and expectations, backed by adults who are consistent enough to make them matter.
Help with owning choices and repairing mistakes, followed by steady work on the next step.
Mentorship and skill-building that turn small wins into confidence and greater independence.
Project Me is built for growth, and growth asks something from everyone involved. Participants do not have to arrive with everything figured out, but they do need to be willing to work.
We will meet a young person where they are. From there, both the participant and the foundation have to keep showing up.
We believe in second chances, but we also believe in the work that makes a second chance count.
See how the three Project Me phases turn steady effort into greater independence.
Explore hands-on programs where follow-through earns more responsibility and opportunity.
Meet the local people and organizations helping young people stay involved and keep moving.