Before joining the Freedom Project, students and parents must sign a Commitment to LEAD in which they pledge to uphold the four LEAD principles that underlie all Freedom Project activities. These principles apply to the organization’s staff and leadership as well. 

Love

We build long-term, caring relationships with our students because we believe that they are valuable human beings. We ask our fellows to develop care for themselves, their peers, and their community. We also celebrate the ways that our diverse experiences and skills add value to our community.

Education

We believe that education is the most powerful tool for freedom. We ask our fellows to begin the journey to become life-long learners who leverage their lived experiences as learning opportunities. Our fellows engage in problem-posing education, meaning they identify themes and problems in their own lives that feel relevant and bring them into the space. From there, fellows study, explore, and discuss these problems through our workshops, and identify solutions that can be acted on.

Action

We believe that, in the words of Medgar Evers, “freedom has never been free,” so we encourage fellows to take action to create the future that they want for themselves and their communities. We work with fellows to identify and move towards both personal and collective goals.

Discipline

We emphasize the cultivation of discipline because we believe that practicing discipline as an individual, as well as in one’s relationships, is necessary.