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Project Discovery has a 30-year history in the Commonwealth of Virginia during which time it has impacted thousands of students. The program is currently offered through 21 local programs. Project Discovery works with students from predominantly low to moderate-income households and/or, are potential first generation post-secondary education attendees. Stressing the importance of education to these students, Project Discovery, through its partner agencies, provide workshops to improve basic skills (e.g., study skills, time management, financial planning, etc.) and assist students on the process of completing applications (admission and financial aid) to post secondary institutions. As a result, a greater number of students who would not have gone on to post secondary education have elected to continue their education. Project Discovery's goal is to eliminate poverty through education.
Partners for Project Discovery include:
- I-am-the-One.com, which provides resources for students in Virginia seeking higher education to help break the cycle of poverty.
- Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, which awarded a grant to Skyline CAP in 2009 to implement Foundations in Personal Finance, a program to help high school students begin their life with the knowledge necessary to avoid debt and grow wealth. For more information about this program, click here.
- Virginia Foundations for Healthy Youth, which awarded the agency a grant to implement a supplemental curriculum for Madison County students. The Positive Action materials are designed to improve academic achievement and reduce substance use, including tobacco, alcohol, and drugs.
Statewide, Project Discovery has a proven record of effective stewardship of the public dollars entrusted to them.With a success rate of over 90 percent of last years’ graduating students matriculating to post-secondary education, Project Discovery spends less than $850.00 per student, per year. Similar federal programs spend nearly $5,000.00 per student, per year.
Project Discovery believes that hardworking, meritorious students should not be deprived of an opportunity to attend college simply because of a lack of funding. Our vision is to see that every student graduate from high school and every student who has the desire and demonstrates the ability, be able to attend post-secondary education.
In the local program, Skyline’s Project Discovery students meet for workshops once a week to explore their options for life after high school. Participants are encouraged to take the hardest classes in which they can do well, and be involved in school and community activities. They also have the opportunity to visit at least three colleges or trade schools each year.
College bound students are encouraged to apply for at least twenty scholarships. If a student with a good GPA, who is involved in community service and other activities, particularly leadership activities, applies for scholarships, she or he is likely to receive about $1,000 per hour of time spent on scholarships. College-bound members who have attended workshops, participated in field trip to local colleges, and volunteered for community service projects will receive the Skyline CAP/Project Discovery Certificate of Completion. At the end of the 2008-2009 school year, six high school seniors completed the program and continued on to attend a college, university, community college, or vocational school.
The Project Discovery program receives no direct state funding. Please donate now to help sustain this service.
For more information about this service:
Erica Dalton
Project Discovery Coordinator
Phone: 540-948-2237
E-mail: edalton@skylinecap.org
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