About Us
The O’Nan Project for Change is a nonprofit organization that was founded to empower middle school students to move beyond limiting situations to discover and apply their own strengths and skills in achieving their life goals. Currently operating in the State of Mississippi, we offer monthly life coaching and community based mentorship programs where students set goals for themselves and work together over a two-year period towards character building, personal responsibility, and a community-responsible mindset. This is a unique program, the first of its kind, which not only serves to empower youth but also works with them over a significant period of time in order to ensure long-term sustainability in the lives of its participants. The Project has far-reaching long-term goals and we expect to see it implemented in schools throughout the country within the decade.
We have dedicated our pilot year to the public school system in Starkville, Mississippi, because Mississippi ranks among the highest in the nation in teen deaths, middle and high school dropouts, teens not attending school and not working, and teen pregnancies. It was therefore chosen as an area where benefits such as those derived from personal coaching are not readily available to the general population at all, let alone high-needs students in the public school system. However, other middle schools in the country have since come forward requesting implementation of our program, and we anticipate such implementation both in Mississippi and other states in the coming year.
About our founder, Meagan O'Nan: The O'Nan Project for Change was birthed by the vision of its founder, Meagan O'Nan, whose passion is to empower teenagers to embrace their potential, to see beyond their life circumstances and to think outside their box. Author of the award-winning book, "Creating Your Heaven on Earth" as well as personal life coach and inspirational speaker, Meagan’s own story is a testament to the changes that can occur when we believe in ourselves and the positive impact those changes can have on others as a result.
A product of the Mississippi school system herself, Meagan established The O’Nan Project for Change as a way to both give back and “pay forward” some of her own life lessons and personal wisdom she has gained along the way. Her love for youth has been fostered by her personal coaching business with teenagers and athletes and arose partly out of her own extensive personal involvement in sports in high school and beyond.
Meagan holds masters degrees from both Mississippi State University and Florida State University in the fields of disability and counseling. She is a professional life coach and has received numerous awards on both the local and national levels for her athletic achievements. She has written articles for numerous publications and has been featured on both television and radio for her work with the O'Nan Project for Change. Meagan currently divides her time between her childhood home town of Starkville, MS, and her present home in Fort Collins, Colorado. For more information about Meagan, please visit her website at www.meaganonan.com.