The Future Project is dedicated to tackling a global crisis that impacts nearly every human being: the failure of our antiquated education system to unlock the infinite possibility within all students. Although emerging science proves that when passion is ignited and dreams unlocked within people, everything changes, we aren’t yet as a society enabling our young people to learn how to live the lives, and build the world, they imagine. As a result, we not only face unconscionable drop-out and truancy rates, the widespread despair and apathy plaguing school cultures, and unstoppable school-to-prison pipelines, but also the prospect of missing the greatest opportunity of our time: preparing the next generation to revolutionize society when it is time to pass them the torch of history.
Two years ago, a team of nearly 100 volunteers came together in New York to do something about that—and resolved to launch a national Dream Corps that could spread to every school in America before the end of the decade. While working with students in subsequent months, the team invented a new character called the Dream Director that they dreamt could transform students and schools—and, after months of testing in three cities, The Future Project is now days away from sharing it with the world on dream.org. Dream Directors embed in schools, turning them around from the inside out.
The Future Project launched in three cities—New York, New Haven, and Washington, D.C.—and will soon be adding Newark, San Francisco, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Baltimore, and Boston to its Dream City repertoire. But the ultimate goal is to democratize the Dream Director, rendering it an identity that hundreds of thousands of people committed to unlocking people can take on in schools—and maybe, one day, other institutions in need of inspiration—across the world.
Andrew Mangino is the co-founder and CEO of The Future Project, a fast-growing national education initiative to transform education and unleash a generation of dreamers—young people who are using their passions to change the world. Named one of Forbes “30 Under 30″ Social Entrepreneurs—and a Draper Richards Kaplan Fellow.
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