History

Founded by the Sisters of Mercy of Detroit in 1992 to provide tutoring for economically disadvantaged girls in southwest Detroit, Mercy Education Project (MEP) today offers a spectrum of programs to serve the remedial educational needs of at-risk women and girls in one of Detroit’s poorest areas.

Nearly 20 years ago, Mercy Education Project began with a tutoring and summer program for 14 girls. By the following year, GED classes for women were added. Witnessing a considerable need for remedial education for Detroit women who had dropped out of school, MEP added adult basic education and adult literacy components. With a growing number of GED graduates looking for additional career services, we expanded the career development program and added job training programs between 2004 and 2007.

In 2009, MEP started the Emerging Leaders summer program for middle school girls. With a focus on college and career exploration, Emerging Leaders helps girls – and their families – who have had little exposure to higher education see its benefits and prepare for college.

Open Doors, a program teaching soft skills and employment skills to women returning from the criminal justice system, is MEP’s newest program component, which started in 2010.

As a sponsored ministry, Mercy Education Project receives support from the Sisters of Mercy West Midwest Community. Individuals, corporations, foundations, and other private and public entities also provide necessary financial and in-kind support to the agency.

Once a small tutoring project, Mercy Education Project now helps 250 girls and women in one of Detroit’s poorest areas to succeed in education and move toward self-sufficiency.