• The “I Have a Dream”® program is a long-term and year-round program that works with the same group of children from the elementary school years through college.
• The “I Have a Dream”® program is personal, rather than institutional. “I Have a Dream”® sponsors are individuals, not institutions or corporations.
• The “I Have a Dream”® program is flexible and can be tailored to suit the particular needs and resources of its community and Dreamers.
• “I Have a Dream”® does not pick the “cream of the crop” or the children most “at risk”. Every project casts a broad net, giving many children in the selected age group an equal opportunity to set and achieve personal and educational goals.
• Dreamers are always encouraged to succeed, but are allowed to make mistakes without being terminated from the program. “Once a Dreamer, Always a Dreamer” is the “I Have a Dream”® motto.
• Productive citizenship is the ultimate measure of success. Success is measured individually, the threshold goal is that all Dreamers graduate from high school prepared for advanced study or rewarding employment.

Goals

The primary goals for Dreamers are high school graduation with readiness for college, vocational school or rewarding employment. These goals are accomplished by providing low income children with a range of supportive services and enrichment programs, beginning in elementary school and continuing through high school. “I Have a Dream”® believes that early development of self-esteem, self-discipline and self-motivation is important to future success in college or the work force. By working with these students continuously during critical development years (elementary school through high school) “I Have a Dream”® believes that they will become productive citizens who contribute positively to the economy and society.

• Decreasing the number of youth who drop out of school
• Giving students the emotional support they need to develop positive self-esteem, individual motivation and personal goals
• Fostering a strong network of peer and parent support which strengthens the individual to say “No” when confronted with street alternatives
• Helping prevent the problems of teenage unemployment, crime, drugs, pregnancy through the focus of long-term career goals and education
• Creating new perceptions, understanding and cooperation across ethnic, economic and community lines
• Addressing students’ educational needs in a personal, supportive, long-term relationship that extends from elementary school through the twelfth grade or longer
• Creating a belief in each child that she or he can develop to his or her full potential, including the ability to succeed in post-secondary education.