Project T.R.U.S.T. for Changing School Climate Project T.R.U.S.T. stands for "Trustworthy Relationships Uniting Students and Teachers." The goal of the program is to change school climate, especially in schools where trust has broken down between students and staff. Using cooperative games and challenges in a team-building context, Project T.R.U.S.T. provides opportunities for students and teachers to listen to experiences and perceptions of one another, and to step out of the conventional authority structure roles that typically determine their relationships. Piloted in Spring, 2004 at Bartram High School, and with the cooperation of the Philadelphia Student Union, the program outcomes showed that participants began to trust each other and to develop relationships of mutual respect. Six months after the program, students and teachers still were praising the experience. Teacher comment: "I was stuck in my role as a teacher. It gave me a chance to break out of that and get to know students as people. I'm totally different as a teacher this year. I'm not so grumpy." Student comment: "I had a bad rep, and I had to live up to my rep. Since Fellowship Farm everything changed. I don't have to be that way. My grades and behavior have improved."

Last Update: Mar 28, 2005