Established at New Settlement in 1997, PROJECT V.I.P (Voice, Identity, Power) encourages girls aged 11-14 to express themselves and uncover their strengths through theatre and dramatic writing, while deepening their knowledge of poetry and literature, and building leadership and collaboration skills. Each semester during the school year, 18 middle school-aged girls meet twice weekly for 90 minutes to explore literature, including poetry, essays, and plays by such artists as Katori Hall, Anna Deavere Smith, Lorraine Hansberry, Eve Ensler, William Shakespeare, and Thornton Wilder, prose and poetry by Julia Alvarez, Jessica Care Moore, Holly McNish, bell hooks, and many more. Each ensemble is encouraged to draw on this inspiration to write their own poems and plays through a collaborative process, and perform their work for the community. During the summer intensive, which also culminates in an original performance, participants follow a similar process, meeting three times a week for six weeks, three hours or more per day.