Faces & Strength Projects

CHARISM’s Faces and Strength Projects are for at-risk middle and high school students, with groups meeting at Carl Ben Eielson Middle School, Discovery Middle School, and Davies High School in Fargo.  In order to facilitate comfort in discussing sensitive subjects and create room for self-reflection, Faces is for young women only while the Strength Project is for young men.

Within these groups, the youth discuss relationships, making positive decisions, planning for their future, character, and social issues that they must confront such as racism and drug use.  They also engage in meaningful projects which help to develop leadership skills, give back to the community, and create a sense of self-worth.  The youth have assisted with sandbagging efforts in flood years, fundraisers for the YWCA and Ronald McDonald House, and making blankets for Project Linus, among other community service efforts.

The Faces Project also includes an annual art component, where, with the help of local artists, the girls develop self portraits, learning about art, self-expression, and the importance of inner beauty.