What Your Scholars Will Experience

Design a Project That Matters

The Edison year begins with vision. Through a retreat experience, guided reflection, and structured proposal work, scholars identify what they want to build—and who they want to become. They clarify their Vision, Mission, Abilities, Skills, and Knowledge goals, develop performance and becoming metrics, and craft a concrete plan with deadlines and accountability.

They don’t receive an assignment.

They create one.

In this process, they move from vague ambition to articulated intention. They discover that initiative is not a personality trait—it is a discipline.

Commit to a Full Week of Purposeful Work

Edison scholars commit to sustained, independent effort—often 40+ hours per week devoted to their project, study, and personal growth. They learn to structure time, track productivity, identify roadblocks, and evaluate their percent of capacity each week.

This is not busywork.

It is apprenticeship in self-leadership.

Through weekly self-evaluations and coaching meetings, scholars learn to ask:

• What did I commit to?

• What did I accomplish?

• What needs to improve?

• Who am I becoming?

They discover that discipline is not imposed from outside—it is cultivated from within.

Meet Weekly for Accountability, Coaching, and Growth

Each week, scholars gather for reporting, presentations, discussion, and coaching. They share successes and setbacks. They present insights and epiphanies. They wrestle with obstacles and refine their plans.

They also meet individually with their Edison mentor for focused accountability and problem-solving. These short, consistent coaching sessions become the backbone of their momentum.

They experience something rare in education:

Someone who believes in their genius—and holds them to it.

Engage the Liberal Arts at a Deeper Level

Every Edison scholar selects a Liberal Arts Mentor—someone who challenges their thinking, guides their reading, refines their craftsmanship, and stretches their intellectual capacity.

They don’t merely consume information. They enter the Great Conversation. They study books, ideas, biographies, philosophy, systems, and disciplines relevant to their project and emerging mission. Through this process, knowledge becomes purposeful, not abstract.

They learn that scholarship is not about grades—it is about preparation for contribution.

Present, Perform, and Produce

Edison scholars present their projects formally to peers and mentors. They articulate what they’ve learned, what they’ve built, and who they’ve become.

Some launch businesses.
Some prepare for scholarships or university.
Some complete deep research or creative works.
Some initiate service or leadership efforts.

All of them experience the satisfaction of converting inspiration into tangible results. They leave the year not just having completed a project, but having proven to themselves that they can.

What Makes a Great Edison Mentor

You don’t need to control every detail of your scholars’ projects. You need the ability to coach initiative without taking it over.

The most effective Edison mentors:

• Have previously mentored and understand the Apprentice Scholar Phase

• Believe that young people are capable of sustained independent work

• Hold scholars accountable without micromanaging

• Protect student ownership while offering guidance

• Model discipline, resilience, and lifelong learning

• Ask, “What is your next action step?” rather than “Here’s what I would do.”

If you can believe in their potential while requiring responsibility, you’re ready.

More Than a Project—A Transition Into Adulthood

The Edison Project is not about productivity for its own sake. It is about crossing a threshold.

Parents report students who:

• Take ownership of their time

• Speak with clarity about their goals

• Recover from setbacks more quickly

• Demonstrate increased maturity and initiative

Mentors observe scholars who:

• Think strategically

• Manage systems and commitments

• Wrestle with identity and purpose

• Move from dependency to self-direction

Students consistently describe Edison as the year they realized they could build something real—that they could move from preparation into participation. This is leadership education at its most demanding stage—where vision meets discipline, where dreams meet deadlines, and where becoming matters as much as achieving.

Ready to Bring the Edison Project to Your Community?

Join the Edison Project Mentor Training and step into a year of initiative, ownership, and transformation—for your scholars and for yourself.