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OUR MISSION
Project First/Upward Bound is
a friendly, helping program for high-school students
who would like to go to college, but might have
trouble attending because of lack of funds, low
grades or inadequate high-school preparation. Upward
Bound is federally funded and the University of
Missouri-Kansas City is the host institution. Upward
Bound is one of the seven TRIO programs. We help
students improve study skills, build confidence,
motivation, self-discipline, maturity and better
grades so that they can go to the college of their
choice. We help increase their success in both
secondary and post-secondary education.
We provide a variety
of services that will help students to be more
successful such as:
Tutorial Assistance
Cultural and Community
Experiences
Self-identity and Motivational
Sessions
Career Planning
Mentor Program
Leadership Programs
During the academic year, students come at least
once a week to one of our after-school tutoring
sessions in areas they need to improve. In summer,
the students attend a special seven-week intensive
academic program. The summer classes prepare them
for the Fall semester and also give them an idea of
what college life will be like. The residency
program encourages good attendance, promotes
independent living, and fosters new friendships.
Upward Bound is a "family affair." An active Parent
Advisory Committee (PAC)-- composed of parents or
guardians, community representatives, school
personnel, and UB staff-- helps identify ways and
means of supporting the students' success in the
program. Without the love and cooperation of the
people most important to the student, our chances of
changing the future are diminished.
Everyone is
eligible, regardless of sex or race, if:
You are a citizen of the
United States
You are in the 9th or 10th
grade
Your parents did not graduate
from a four-year college/university, and/or your
parents' total taxable income is within federal
guidelines
You need academic counseling
and/or tutoring assistance
You plan to go to college
You attend one of the target
high schools in the Kansas City Missouri School
District—Central High School, Paseo Academy for the
Fine and Performing Arts, and Westport High School
You can participate fully in
both academic year and summer phases of the program.
Benefits of
the Upward Bound Program are:
Tutoring and counseling in
college preparatory subjects
Guidance through the entire college application and
scholarship process
Reading and study-skill
development until you perform at your grade level or
above
Diagnostic testing to evaluate
your achievement level and to identify career
interest areas for counseling purposes
Social-cultural activities to
enrich your awareness of the great world around you
College campus visits
throughout the nation to show you what choices lie
ahead for your postsecondary education
Rewards for success -
recognition for outstanding achievers
A chance for a choice - learn
how to take charge of your life
FREE SERVICES- all of the
above are free.
Common Misconceptions About the UMKC Upward Bound
Program:
MISCONCEPTION #1: UMKC Upward Bound is only a summer
camp.
The
truth is UMKC Upward Bound (UB) is a year round
program. There is an Academic Year Component
(September through April) and a Summer Academy
Component (June and July). Students participate in
Evening
Academy.
MISCONCEPTION #2: Upward Bound is for any high
school student.
All
UB students have to apply, interview and be admitted
into any Upward Bound Program and must stay active
in order to continue as an UB throughout high
school.
MISCONCEPTION #3: Upward Bound only serves African
American students.
Depending on where you are in the country, UB
students come from diverse backgrounds. UMKC Upward
Bound currently serves 100% African American
populations because those target schools are
majority African American. Some programs in
Missouri are 100% white and rural and throughout the
country run the gamut. The target schools we
selected have the highest need for our
services and a huge part of why we have received the
grant. Sometimes need based grants do see
substantial disparities in race depending on where
you are in the country. Upward Bound selection is
based on class and not race. Our target population
are students who are income contingent (may qualify
for free or reduced lunch) and/or first generation
potential college graduates.
MISCONCEPTION #4: Upward Bound is a tutoring
program.
UB
is an academic enrichment program. We are
not a replacement for high school. While UB programs
may provide tutoring it is not the bulk of what we
do. We provide cultural fieldtrips, college tours,
financial aid workshops, and one on one high school
and college advisement. UB only provides tutoring
for its students and no other students. UB does
collaborate with other programs for UB students, but
UB services for non UB students are not allowable
under the Upward Bound grant regulations.
MISCONCEPTION #5: Upward Bound is only at UMKC.
Any
institution or non-for-profit organization within
the United States and its territories can apply for
an Upward Bound Grant from the United States
Department of Education. The application is
available every four years and priority may be given
to previously awarded programs.
MISCONCEPTION #6: Upward Bound is the same
everywhere.
Some Upward Bound programs do not have a residential
summer component but we do. Some programs have
stipends for their students but others don’t. Each
grant is funded based on the number of students they
can serve, how the program can fit into the
institutions plan and what the federal government
mandates. So while we all have standardized
objectives, how we meet the objectives will vary
from program to program.
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