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Core Programs

UPLIFT → BUILD → EVOLVE

The Project Me Pathway™

Project Me Foundation Inc.’s Signature Education, Workforce, and Transition Program for System-Involved Youth and Young Adults

The Project Me Pathway™ supports youth and young adults ages 13 to 24 who have been impacted by foster care, juvenile justice, family court, or related systems. It gives participants a clear structure as they work toward adulthood with stronger stability, education, and employment readiness.

The model is informed by standards from OCFS, DOJ, and the Department of Labor, but it is grounded just as strongly in lived experience, practical structure, and daily accountability.

It is not a one-time service. It is a three-phase pathway that gives participants room to stabilize first, build skills over time, and eventually lead with more independence.

Pathway Overview

Participants move through three connected phases. Each one adds structure and skill-building while increasing responsibility and independence.

Phase I: UPLIFT™

Stability and engagement that prepare participants for the next step.

Phase II: BUILD™

Skills and discipline connected to work preparation.

Phase III: EVOLVE™

Leadership and independence with lasting stability as the goal.

Phase I

UPLIFT™

Stabilization, Engagement, and Transition Readiness

UPLIFT™ is the starting point. It helps participants steady their behavior and reconnect with education before moving into more structured growth.

Many young people enter the program carrying disrupted schooling and trauma, often with inconsistent routines. This phase starts with those realities and builds from there.

Core Focus Areas:

  • Understanding
    Trauma-informed care, social-emotional learning, and cognitive-behavioral strategies to improve emotional regulation, decision-making, and behavioral stability.
  • Purpose
    Connecting education and skill development to independence, career pathways, and long-term economic mobility.
  • Learning Foundations
    Academic assessment, tutoring, credit recovery, re-enrollment, and individualized education planning.
  • Integrity
    Establishing standards around accountability, attendance, and personal responsibility.
  • Focus
    Building executive functioning skills including time management, goal setting, and self-direction.
  • Transformation
    Measurable improvements in engagement, behavior, and readiness for advancement.

UPLIFT™ helps participants move out of survival mode and get ready for steady development.

Phase II

BUILD™

Skill Development, Discipline, and Workforce Preparation

BUILD™ is where participants start putting the work into practice. They build habits and skills while developing the discipline that supports independence.

This phase connects stabilization to real-life preparation through practice and consistency, reinforced by follow-through.

Core Focus Areas:

  • Discipline
    Daily structure, routine building, accountability systems, and expectations that reflect school, work, and community life.
  • Skill Development
    Workforce readiness training, communication skills, financial literacy, digital literacy, and problem-solving.
  • Application
    Hands-on learning through projects, practice situations, and real-life problem-solving that reinforce responsibility and decision-making.
  • Consistency
    Reinforcing habits through repetition, mentorship, and performance tracking.
  • Exposure
    Introduction to career pathways, including creative, technical, and nontraditional industries aligned with labor market opportunities.
  • Progression
    Participants show reliability, stronger skills, and readiness for greater responsibility.

BUILD™ turns potential into practice. Participants are not just learning. They are doing.

Phase III

EVOLVE™

Leadership, Independence, and Long-Term Success

EVOLVE™ is the advanced phase, focused on independence and leadership that can support lasting stability.

Participants move beyond preparation and begin taking real ownership of their goals and choices, including the next steps they plan to take.

Core Focus Areas:

  • Education Advancement
    High school completion, GED attainment, vocational training, industry-recognized credentials, and post-secondary enrollment.
  • Vision
    Career pathway alignment based on strengths, interests, and long-term goals.
  • Opportunity
    Access to mentorship, internships, apprenticeships, employment connections, and creative industry exposure.
  • Leadership
    Peer mentorship, communication, conflict resolution, and civic engagement.
  • Values
    Reinforcing accountability, perseverance, ethical decision-making, and non-violent conflict resolution.
  • Empowerment
    Individual transition planning around employment, housing, education, and long-term stability.

EVOLVE™ is about leaving with purpose and structure, plus enough support to keep moving independently.

Projected Program Outcomes

The Project Me Pathway™ is built to track progress in areas that matter to youth and families, as well as schools, courts, employers, and community partners:

  • Increased school attendance and sustained academic engagement.
  • Completion or progress toward high school diploma or equivalency.
  • Improved emotional regulation and behavioral stability.
  • Reduced justice system involvement and recidivism risk.
  • Increased workforce readiness, credential attainment, and job placement.
  • Enrollment in post-secondary education or training programs.
  • Exposure to a range of career options, including creative industries.
  • Stronger leadership skills and positive community involvement.

From stabilization…

To structure…

To leadership…

This is how young people move from system involvement toward self-sufficiency.

Core Programs

See how UPLIFT™, BUILD™, and EVOLVE™ help young people move from stability to skill-building to independence.

Special Programs

Creative, athletic, media, music, and skill-building programs that open up as participants show consistency and growth.

Community Partners

Local organizations and community resources that help young people stay connected, supported, and accountable.