America's Founding Principles Come to Life!

For 25 years, Project American Life has inspired tens of thousands of students through this four-day residential experience. With the wisdom of The Declaration of Independence as a starting point, students begin reaching for their own hopes and dreams ~ stretching beyond the smallness of immediate self-gratification towards striving to build that long-imagined Shining City on Hill!

This founding model vividly engages hearts and minds using the still “self-evident truths” of 1776. In bringing American History to life, students develop a rich and personal connection with the ideals of our Republic. Experiential discoveries into these Founding Principles kindle heartfelt gratitude for the many sacrifices made in the shaping of our unique nation. In turn, students begin seizing their own sense of civic responsibility, as they seek to serve a cause greater than self.

Each day of the PAL adventure begins with paradigmatic questions along with corresponding virtues: “Who, What, Where, and Why am I?” The virtues have an easy mechanism for remembrance: “The Four C’s of Clarity, Compassion, Courage, and Commitment.”‍ ‍In illumining the moral vision of America’s Founders and the virtues they embodied, students yearn to walk in their shoes!