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PROJECT MILLENNIUM, INC.
"Keeping young minds positive one beat at a time."
Music is the universal language of mankind
Poetry their universal pastime and delight
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
WHERE WE’VE BEEN…
Let’s take a little stroll down memory lane.
The weekend is approaching. You’re young. You’re bored. You’re
vulnerable. Whether you’re going back five years or thirty, most
of us can relate to the angst of youth…the pressures to fit in…the
struggle to belong. Today, perhaps more than ever, young people wrestle
with finding their niche. Family is disintegrating. School flounders in
the face of budget cuts. Community programs languish. Where are teens
to go, to whom do they turn?
Young people today are still seeking what we were…an
ear to hear. A shoulder to lean on. A word of encouragement. Project Millennium,
Inc. is responding to this need and providing a safe haven for youth/young
adults and a much needed outlet for their artistic expression.
Founded in 1994, this community organization began
as a mother’s effort to provide a place for her sons to exercise
their musical talents in an environment free from the lure of drugs, alcohol
and offensive behavior. Seeing a lack of entertainment venues available
to the young she persuaded a neighborhood center to allow Friday evening
band concerts catering to youngsters 14 to 18 years of age. The response
was as positive as the need was great and the seeds of Project Millennium
were sown.
Many years have passed and the organization has
seen tremendous change. The mom’s boys have grown and so has the
vulnerable number of young that Project Millennium seeks to help.
WHERE WE ARE…
Now, an established 501C3 Maryland non-profit organization,
Project Millennium is based in Dundalk, MD. Under the umbrella of PMI,
the organization operates The Underground at St. Timothy’s Lutheran
Church on Dundalk Ave., The Underground Unplugged at St. George’s
and St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church on Dunleer Rd. and the Underground
Road Show Associates (URSA) which operates in a variety of venues in the
Greater Baltimore Metropolitan Area, including schools, colleges and churches
offering a myriad of services. Ages catered to have expanded to over 18
because of increased interest of college age artists. Using the arts as
the tools PMI seeks to build into the lives of youth and young adults
using diverse and creative approaches. Music, writing, art, photography,
video, audio are just some of the hands on experience participants are
encouraged to engage for the sake of stimulating expression. PMI continues
to build a community of artists that seek to serve others, "artists
helping artists", building relationships, leadership and knowledge
while at the same time having fun.
In this pressure cooker world we have created
we have forgotten to teach our youth how to dream, work, play and have
fun in a positive way…Project Millennium, Inc. has succeeded in this
mission.
WHERE ARE WE GOING…
Not content to rest on its laurels, PMI is looking
to the future with anticipation. The organization seeks to expand its
outreach to searching young people using the arts in diverse and unique
ways. PMI’s most ambitious goal is to establish a permanent drop-in
center for the arts, "An Artist’s Mission", which would
allow the organization to minister to youth/young adults on an ongoing
year-round basis. Planned as primarily an after-school facility, the center
would provide a much needed refuge for youth to work and create, as well
as a place to foster community service and maintain relationships that
are being established. Young adults would provide much needed leadership
and mentoring, while at the same time nurture their own need for artistic
expression.
PMI works diligently to build into the lives of
our young…to give them an outlet for their self expression and yes,
while it may sound trite, to improve their self-esteem and their sense
of belonging. They are certainly the beneficiaries of our efforts, yet
our community as a whole is the big winner. By helping to provide a nurturing
environment and positive role models, we hope to make a difference in
young lives, encouraging them to achieve more and ultimately contribute
more…creating a brighter future for all of us.
Help us provide greater opportunities. Help us
reach out and empower our young to reach for the stars. Make your contribution
to PMI and see greater harmony in our communities as we "keep young
minds positive one beat at a time".
Project Millennium,
Inc. is a 501C3 Maryland non-profit organization.
Your tax-deductible donation or inquiry may be sent to:
Project Millennium,
Inc.
832 S. 50th St.
Baltimore, MD 21222
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