The program's ambitious mission is to break the cycle of poverty and low-educational attainment by equipping these students, whose potential outdistances their circumstances, with the tools and support needed to graduate from high school and enroll in post-secondary education. This comprehensive program transforms students' lives by building academic success, self-confidence, resiliency, leadership, and character.
History
Bridges to a Brighter Future began in 1997 through a gift from a Greenville
woman who did not want to see young people’s potential uncultivated due to
barriers such as family financial circumstances, lack of knowledge, exposure,
or encouragement. Bridges to a Brighter Future literally changes lives and
is one of the distinctive community outreach programs in Greenville County.
Program Summary
Bridges accomplishes its mission by engaging students in an intensive three-year program that begins after ninth grade and includes a four-week, summer residential experience on the Furman campus and year-round support and encouragement through Bridges Saturday College. An incredibly diverse mix of approximately 75 students participate annually from Greenville County.
Student Selection
Students are nominated in ninth grade by their classroom teachers, guidance counselors, or the community. Approximately 80 students are nominated annually. All nominated students go through an intensive selection process including an application and interview. After the interview, 25-30 students are selected each year based on their “need” for the program. The new rising tenth graders join two classes of continuing rising junior and senior-level students for a total of approximately 80 students. Students may return for two consecutive summers if they maintain a 3.0 grade point average and remain in good standing with the Bridges program and their school.
A Model Program
In 2009, Bridges to a Brighter Future was recognized as a model program
by the Johns Hopkins Center for Summer Learning by being awarded the 2009 Summer
Excellence Award, an award that recognizes outstanding summer programs that demonstrate
excellence in accelerating academic achievement and promoting healthy development
for young people between kindergarten and twelfth grade.
The Bridges model has been replicated at Elon University and serves as a model for success in working with first-generation, low-income high school students.
