Project H.O.P.E aims to promote the achievement of at-risk youth enrolled in after-school and summer programs in five community centers in the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership. Project H.O.P.E's goal is not only to provide direct services to Durham youth, but also to collaborate with North Carolina Central University to increase university and community engagement through reflective practices and reformed institutional policies.

"I appreciate the opportunity H.O.P.E has given me to use real-life experiences to enhance a Duke education that is often textbook-directed," said Lauren Garson, a rising junior who participated in H.O.P.E through Project Child, an extended orientation program, as well as a service-learning class with the Program in Education. "I want to continue a sustained relationship with a child I worked with and the community that I have learned so much about."

Through academic tutoring, expressive arts programs, recreation activities, health services, and life-skills training, over 500 children have benefited from funding provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Project H.O.P.E aims to:

• Promote the academic achievement of Durham children living in the Neighborhood Partnership.

• Increase university and community engagement

• Encourage changes in institutional policy changes

• Explore lessons learned about community and university engagement