A 13-Year Pipeline

There are four major components of Bridges support system: summer programs, school-year programs, school guidance, and one-on-one support. Bridges is in the pilot phase of its post-high school program which provides support to students into their late teens and early 20s. Here’s what the pipeline looks like. 

Students enter Bridges in the summer after third grade. The Summer Institute (a cross between school and camp) lasts eight hours a day for five weeks and features a demanding academic schedule, art, sports, outdoor education, and field trips. Students return to the Summer Institute for six summers through the end of middle school. During those school years, they also participate in the Bridges After-School Program, receive middle and high school placement support, and weekend coaching/enrichment activities.

In ninth grade, students enter the Bridges High School Program, which goes through the end of twelfth grade. It connects them with paid summer jobs, continued weekend enrichment programs, school year coaching and tutoring, exposure to and preparation for post-high school options.

In Fall 2014, Bridges began the process of extending its support system into the post-high school years. Currently, we award a limited number of college scholarships each year, hold quarterly get-togethers/workshops for students, and help students resolve personal issues as needed.