Adrienne Diercks is the founder and executive director of Project Success, a nonprofit based in Minneapolis that “helps students connect to a purpose, discover who they are, and find out what they want from life after high school.” The organization is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

Part of delivering its mission in Minnesota involves taking students to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The team from Paddle and Portage ventured to the end of the Gunflint Trail this summer to see this objective unfold in real time. On a beautiful summer morning on Seagull Lake, groups of students from the Twin Cities departed Wilderness Canoe Base, which works in support of Project Success by providing a base of operations, canoes, and other gear.

Paddle and Portage spoke with Diercks after the visit to the edge of the wilderness. Below is a portion of that conversation, which has been edited for context and length.

Paddle and Portage (P&P): When we talk about stories and things that impact people, including places like the Boundary Waters and organizations like Project Success, we prefer to use real examples to illustrate what it is we’re talking about. And when we were at the end of the Gunflint Trail at the canoe base, we had a chance to meet someone who was involved with Project Success. This person, Tion Brooks, told us he has been transformed through coming to the Boundary Waters. Tion said the experience of coming as a young man from Minneapolis, who had never been to the Boundary Waters, helped shape who he is today. Tion has now been back four consecutive summers working at the canoe base and helping show other people the Boundary Waters. What are your observations of that, Adrienne?

Adrienne Diercks (AD): Well, like you, I agree that stories are so powerful. And Tion’s story is one of many. His story is so incredible. It’s what makes me, 30 years after we started Project Success, and after 25 years of taking students to the Boundary Water, remember what this is all about. That’s the magic of the Boundary Waters, and that’s the work of Project Success. We talk about connecting students to their purpose, and one of those ways is through experiences, opportunities that maybe you’ve never had before. Going to a place to literally explore wilderness and to connect to something that sparks in you, that’s meaningful to you, that can be life changing. We see that with Tion. For him to be up there, working and helping other people have that experience, there’s nothing better than that. That’s the magic of the wilderness and of the Boundary Waters.

P&P: It seems there’s a circular aspect to the mission of Project Success. It’s not just a stopgap or a one-time thing.

AD: That’s right. And you know, I’ve been on 30 or more trips myself. I always say I learn more than students on those trips, because I build relationships, and I learn so much about young people, especially in our early years.

P&P: Why the Boundary Waters? Why do you bring groups here? Why was that chosen as a place to take students from Minneapolis? To show them this place?

AD: Well, in our very early years, 30 years ago, we began at North High School, and then we went into Franklin Middle School and Walton Middle School. And the very first person who I worked with as a volunteer, and then an employee, was named Maren. At that time, we were in classrooms only, working with the students. We were offering theater experiences and other things in the schools. As we were looking at what else we might do to achieve our mission, which is to inspire young people to really dream about their future and help them take steps to get there, and then help them gain tools that will take you through the rest of their life, we started to talk about the Boundary Waters. Maren said, ‘You know, something that changed my life, at a very hard time in my life as a young person, was the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. And it was through Wilderness Canoe base, and a man named Jim Wiinanen. And I think we should go up there with young people.’ At the time, we were still a very small organization without many resources. It was just the two of us running the organization. There was just something there though, something about the Boundary Waters that seemed liked the right fit. So we went up to Jim and said, ‘Jim, we don’t have any money. We’ve never done this before, but we have relationships with middle schoolers, and we think this is a good fit.’ And Jim looked right at us and said ‘Let’s partner. Let’s do this.’ Not long after that, we brought our first two groups to the Boundary Waters. Jim was such a great partner. He said, ‘We have a camp. We have guides. We have gear, and we know how to do it safely.’ So we came together, and it was the beginning of a beautiful partnership that has now spanned over 25 years.

P&P: That’s a story about connection. About place.

AD: Exactly. And to be honest, I didn’t know how great the Boundary Waters was until we started doing these trips. Until I got up there, I didn’t know what it’s like to spend a week in the wilderness where you get your own water, cook your own meals, do all of that. So, I learned really side by side with our students. But when you say, why the Boundary Waters? And I always think about a quote by someone we know named Mark, who was a student and went to the Boundary Waters and now is a senior manager and has been with us for many years working. He’s quoted as hearing a student say, ‘I’ve never heard quiet before.’ And that’s an amazing thing to think about for a young person coming from Minneapolis. There’s nothing like the Boundary Waters in terms of the opportunity to gain confidence, fail, succeed, and push through because there is no other way but to push through it there.

P&P: Project Success turns 30 this year, and 25 years of taking students to the Boundary Waters. Are you hearing from people who are now adults that made some of those first trips back in the late ‘90s?

AD: Absolutely. And from their parents too. We hear from a lot of people who tell us that these trips to the Boundary Waters changed how they look at nature. It changed their relationship. They still go outdoors because they fell in love with it on these trips. We just got a letter last week. The parent said, ‘I don’t know what you did, but my daughter came back changed and confident.’ I hear from people who are 35 or 40 years old, who remember the relationships, the friendships, and overcoming really incredible fears like not being able to swim, but still going out there in full safety with their life vests and doing it. I had one young man who said, ‘Remember when I couldn’t lift a canoe? But by the end of the trip I was portaging and everyone was cheering me on.’ I mean, there’s hundreds and hundreds of stories like that.

P&P: There’s a poem called “Celebrate You” that has a lot of meaning to you. And it’s shaped how you lead the organization. Can you tell us about that?

AD: Oh, that that makes me emotional to think about that poem. So, I grew up in Minneapolis. I went through the Minneapolis Public Schools and was raised by an incredible mother who told me to find something you love that makes a difference and go for it. And I took that very seriously. And she gave my siblings and me a poem called “Celebrate You.” And it was on a funny typed piece of paper back then in the ‘70s, and I remember reading it and the first line just saying, ‘Celebrate you, because there’s not one other person in this entire world that is exactly like you.’ And so, Project Success started with a question of ‘Who am I? What’s out there in the world, and what do I want to do in that world? Not just for a job, not just for school, but who are you?’

From there, we started to explore those questions through travel and experience, like going to the Boundary Waters with a guide and a person from Project Success. We can provide an opportunity for exploring and doing things that you don’t know, or that you’ve never done before. So that’s where all this started. That’s where it all began.

P&P: It was powerful to see some of this in real time on the edge of the Boundary Waters as the groups were paddling in, particularly in this milestone year, 30 years after you started. It was great to meet people like Tion. And to be able to speak with you is really an important thing for us, and what we’re doing with raising awareness about the Boundary Waters, how to do it safely, and introducing people from all different areas of the country and backgrounds to this magical place. Thank you.

AD: Thank you, Joe. We really appreciate it. Thank you.

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