Inspired by his grandparents’ good hearts, Darrell Campbell, a junior in the College of Business Administration, launched the program “Dream Chasers,” under his nonprofit BJC (Beverly and Johnny Campbell) Growth and Development that aims to empower marginalized individuals as they pursue their future life, to give back to his grandparents and the City of Milwaukee.
Dream Chasers started at a conference Campbell attended in October of 2022. The name came from the idea that if you’re enrolled in the program, you’re chasing after your dreams.
“The conference talked about figuring out what your purpose on this earth is and how you are going to go after walking in your purpose,” Campbell said. “I started to jot down ideas on surrounding things I thought was lacking growing up in the city of Milwaukee, so I’m like ‘how can I empower the youth in my city?'”
The program’s main priority is to give K-12 children opportunities to see what their future can be for their educational and career paths.
Campbell said the program is also trying to help kids navigate the city of Milwaukee, and as a Milwaukee native, he wished he had someone to help him navigate Milwaukee and the college process.
“I wish I had someone to help me figure out what college is like. ‘What is it like to fill out the FAFSA? What is it like to jump into all of these different career opportunities?’ That’s what I’m trying to do, give someone a good landscape of the endless opportunities out there,” Campbell said.
As of right now, Campbell has eight different modules that can be delivered to all levels of middle schoolers. The modules go over life skills, high school, getting ready to go to high school, and transitioning into college and financial literacy. He said he has a broad list of topics and workshops to implement at various schools in the Milwaukee area through things like worksheets and classroom learning.
Campbell said the plan is to add onto the eight modules so the program can be utilized throughout the entirety of the school year. He said he is working towards the launch of an additional Dream Chasers program for grades 10-12 that will talk about the transition from high school to college or another career path.
“I’ve done a ton of research on all of these different topics. I’ll be delivering them in a classroom setting or after school programming,” Campbell said. “I’m in the process of looking for a staff member to help me implement part of this program as well.”
Campbell wants a full team in the future but is currently searching for an assistant.
Moving forward, he wants to partner with Marquette to have students come to campus and tour the university alongside other surrounding schools such as University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
Campbell said he is also in communication with Waukesha Tech, Milwaukee Area Technical College and local barber schools. He said he wants to give the opportunity for students to see all of the routes they can go in their careers.
“Through implementing the modules, the students will actually take a survey that asks questions such as what are they getting out of the program, do they feel like it’s helpful, have they tapped into other careers that do not necessarily require a college education, such as trade school or entrepreneurship,” Campbell said.
Campbell said he knows not every student has funding to get programming, and he does not want the financial burden to fall on the child. He said the model will be paid for by the school, with a given rate based on the material needed and the number of children participating.
Campbell said it will be completely operational based, and there will be check-ins halfway through. The program is set to start in Fall 0f 2024, with finalizations as to where still in the works.
This story was written by Trinity Zapotocky. She can be reached at [email protected].
