Jim Burke Education Foundation

Dream Builders is a leadership program, created by the Jim Burke Education Foundation, for high achieving high school seniors that focuses on civic responsibility, life skills and leadership development. Each Dream Builder's class is comprised of four teams each made up of eight student leaders. The development of the Dream Builders leadership skills begins as soon as they are accepted into the program. Mini projects that are “done in a day” are assigned so that the students can bond as a team and begin to identify each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Regular meetings are held twice a month so that the Dream Builders can become acquainted with community leaders who talk to them about the needs of the Bakersfield community, how some of them have been addressed and what still needs to be done. They also learn how to run effective meetings, set agendas, communicate effectively, and develop a framework and timeline for a project. Most importantly speakers such as Msgr. Craig Harrison, Tom Corson, Ruth Klein, and Chris Hunsicker, a life coach from the Ford Motor Company, emphasize the importance of civic responsibility, character, ethics and gratitude.
Within the first four months of the program the Dream Builders are divided into four separate teams and assigned a corporate sponsor and several community advisors. At this point they are asked to identify a community need that they would like to focus on and brainstorm possible service projects that would address the problem.
In December each team presents their project concept to a panel of judges for approval. The project must have a vision statement that identifies the need it will address, goals and objectives, and an action plan. Additionally, each team member must have a specific responsibility. A financial plan, material and supply needs are also required. Once approved, the actual projects begin in January and must be completed by the end of March.
During this time the student leaders meet on a weekly basis with their corporate sponsors and advisors to create their service projects. They are also required to collaborate with a nonprofit organization or agency to help in the project development. Teamwork becomes essential at this point along with time management, communication skills, and leadership development. Hundreds of hours go into these projects and team members quickly learn the importance of the word “commitment” and what it takes to juggle volunteering along with school activities, academics, sports, faith, and family commitments.
A community “Celebration of Excellence & Awards Night” is held in April featuring Keynote presentations by each team on their completed projects. A panel of judges evaluates and scores their performance. The Dream Builder teams compete for monetary awards (totaling $2,500)that they donate to a community organization or charity of their choosing.