I’ve been an educator my entire life. And from years working with students, faculty, and families, I have learned a few things to be true: curiosity runs deep, everyone wants to be heard, and we all desire to leave a legacy.

Not knowing is a vulnerable place, so the most successful classrooms are those in which students are physically, psychologically, and emotionally safe; where each student is honored for who they are and what they are capable of; and where trust is earned. For it is only in safe spaces, where individuals are respected and trusted, that we feel comfortable enough taking the risks necessary to fail.

Learning is the process of trying, of setting goals, and of repeatedly failing. We learn to tie our shoes, to hold hands, and to make our way in the world with courage and integrity. Ours is a process . . . .

The role of a teacher is to create a safe space, to honor dignity, to nurture curiosity, and to foster community so all students have the opportunity to explore their individual passions and to learn from one another.

This philosophy and practice is what has drawn me to The Meraki Dignity Project. The Meraki Dignity Project creates a secure, trusted, and welcoming learning community that supports women as they seek answers to the futures they envision for themselves.

I am the son of a mother who struggled to find a fulfilling job after her divorce (this was before age discrimination was a thing), a brother to a sister whose impetuous life choices limited her prosperity, and a father to a daughter for whom I wish the entire world.

The Meraki Dignity Project provides women like my mom, my sister, and my daughter with the resources they need to gain clarity about the choices they face and the community they crave to reassure them that they are not alone in their journeys. For it is in the failures and success of navigating our physical and mental health, our families, our careers, our finances, and our communities that we discover our purpose.

And while that purpose may be different for you than it is for me, we are joined by the process, by the journey, and by our capacity to define the intentional futures we desire for ourselves and our loved ones.

The Meraki Dignity Project is an opportunity to create a future informed by honesty, by grace, by optimism, and by dignity, a chance for us all to listen, to learn, and to celebrate together.

The Meraki Dignity Project. Please join us.

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by Steve McKibben
Co-Founder
The Meraki Dignity Project