Mercy Education Project
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Mission Statement
Mercy Education Project provides educational opportunities, life skills development, and cultural enrichment for women and girls who have limited access to resources to enable them to improve the quality of their lives. Mercy Education Project is a private, nonprofit charitable organization with over 25 years of experience boosting the academic advancement of low income girls and women. Nearly 200 women and girls of diverse ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds go through our programs each year - ready to take a new step toward academic success and a brighter future.
About This Cause
History Mercy Education Project (MEP) was founded in 1992 to provide after-school tutoring for economically disadvantaged girls in southwest Detroit. By 1994 MEP had incorporated as a nonprofit organization and added a women’s adult basic education and GED program. Since 1996 MEP has added numerous program components focused on college and career readiness as well as leadership and self-esteem building to carry out its core mission. MEP’s Mission is to provide educational opportunities, life skills development, and cultural enrichment to help at-risk girls and disadvantaged women in southwest Detroit improve the quality of their lives. Role in the Community - MEP is unique to the Southwest Detroit community. We are the only agency in the area providing a gender-specific, one-to-one, after-school program for girls in grades 2-12. And, the only Adult Basic Education and GED preparation program that works exclusively with women. Southwest Detroit is rich in ethnic diversity but poor by economic and educational measures. This is the area where most of our students live. As home to a diverse community of Latinos, African Americans, Middle Easterners, and Caucasians, it has a strong cultural identity and sense of family. • Many families in this area have a history of multi-generational failure in education and employment. • Half the families are headed by single women, many of whom did not finish high school and are unemployed or underemployed. • Most of our students live far below the poverty level. • MEP is committed to helping to break the cycle of poverty by providing after-school tutoring to girls to increase the likelihood of academic success, eventual high school graduation and college entry. We provide classes for women in three different programs to help them move toward attainment of a GED and basic computer and academic skills needed for employment and post GED educational opportunities Women’s Educational Services: • Adult basic education, and GED preparation classes. The women are assessed when they first arrive at MEP and are placed into the appropriate program that will help them develop their skills with the ultimate goal of attaining the GED diploma. • They attend classes 4 days per week and receive 18 hours of instruction, in small classes and/or in one-on-one tutoring each week. • Women are also offered college and career-focused programming including basic keyboarding, workshops on the use of Microsoft Office tools, etc. • College & Career and cultural enrichment field trips. • Lunch & Learn Speaker Series – Career based speakers to introduce students to possible post GED opportunities. • Ours is a comprehensive program in which we eliminate many of the barriers to education for low-income women through facilitation of child care and transportation as needed. • Individualized assistance and role modeling from caring teachers and trained volunteer tutors. • Serve approximately 130 women per year. Girls’ Program Services • After-school tutoring at least one day per week for approximately 85 girls who are below their grade level in reading, language arts, and/or math. • Girls are tested at intake and receive one-on-one curriculum-based tutoring based on their subject of greater need. • They are paired with a trained tutor for the academic year and each girl’s curriculum is individualized. • College & Career Ready program for high school students with college-focused programming includes SAT and ACT prep, and Spring Break College Camp. • Emerging Leaders two-week summer program for middle school girls focusing on college and career exploration and academic readiness. • Fall of 2015, MEP entered the exciting arena of ROBOTICS by sponsoring one of only a handful of all-girls Robotics teams in Michigan. Mercy Midnight Storm won the 2016 Rookie All-Star Award for the State of Michigan and represented Michigan at the world finals in St. Louis. A Lego League for 4-6 graders began in the fall of 2016. • MEP is committed to increasing STEM programming (science, technology, engineering and math) within their girls program. • MEP provides round-trip transportation for all of our on-site programs as well as Robotics, College and Career field trips, college visit, cultural opportunities, etc. and nutrition services. • Girls receive a nutritious meal each tutoring session – including nutrition services. • Serve approximately 130 per year across all programs. Goals across our service areas - Measurable improvement (from whatever level the student starts upon enrollment) of educational skills for every student. - 90% or greater pass rate for women who have reached GED level classes and complete our program. - 85% of adult students improved by at least two grade levels in one or more subject areas last year. - 100% of our 8th grade girls will advance to high school (not a given in this community). - Ensure that all our high school students stay in school and are prepared for the SAT and ACT exams and for the college application process. At MEP, we see women become more confident and begin to think more positively and concretely about their futures as college students or workers or simply engaged parents with their children’s school. For the girls who come here, most will be the first person in their family to go to college and some the first to graduate from HS. More than 3000 at-risk girls and disadvantaged women have been provided the opportunity to change the trajectory of their lives through MEP’s unique educational model that addresses the individuality of each student.