IRON SHARPENS IRON
Faith. Accountability. Service. Brotherhood.
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
— Proverbs 27:17
Iron Sharpens Iron is the flagship youth mentorship program of the Honesty Project, created to help underserved youth grow in faith, character, discipline, and purpose.
Led by founder Clay Anders, the program gives young people consistent guidance, Christ-centered teaching, positive relationships, and real opportunities to give back to the community around them.
This is not a once-in-a-while check-in. It is a year-long commitment built on showing up, doing the work, serving others, and learning what it means to walk in a better direction.
// SHOWING UP
A Program Built on Consistency
Each school year, Iron Sharpens Iron brings together a group of 12 youth (disciples) who meet once weekly and twice the last week of every month for mentorship, biblical teaching, accountability, and community connection.
These gatherings are designed to help youth build confidence, think differently, and take responsibility for their choices.
Through honest conversations, faith-based lessons, and steady mentorship, participants are encouraged to grow in how they think, how they treat others, how they respond to challenges, and how they see their future.
// CHARACTER IN ACTION
More Than Mentorship
Iron Sharpens Iron is built around action.
Throughout the school year, participants take part in five organized community service opportunities and contribute toward a minimum of 100 community service hours.
To qualify for the summer experience, participants must attend at least four of the five service opportunities to take part in a
1-2 week, all-expenses-paid summer trip through the Honesty Project.
The goal is not just to talk about character. It is to practice it.
Students learn what it means to serve others, take responsibility, follow through, and become part of something bigger than themselves.
Earning the Summer Experience
These trips are intentionally designed to be more than a reward.
They give participants the chance to experience new places, build stronger relationships, see life beyond their everyday environment and most importantly strengthen their faith through the word combined with unique experiences.
For many youth, these trips may include first-time experiences: traveling outside Nebraska, seeing national landmarks, camping, visiting new cities, or simply being surrounded by mentors and peers who follow Christ and believe in them.
The fun matters. So does the purpose behind it.
// IMPACT IN MOTION
A Recent Iron Sharpens Iron Experience
On our recent Summer Honesty Project experience, we took eight youth and three volunteers traveled by RV across several states, and visited Adventureland, IA, Lake McConaughy, NE, the Grand Canyon, AZ, Moab, UT, Wisconsin Dells, WI, and Elitch Gardens, CO.
Each day, the group studied the Gospel of John, read the story of Noah’s Ark, spent time together, and experienced new places as part of their Iron Sharpens Iron journey.
The trip was made possible through the support of sponsors, volunteers, and a community willing to invest in young people.
*** Thanks to The Lincoln Community Foundation for their generous grant which allowed us to expand our trip to Adventureland and Wisconsin Dells!
That is what this program is about: faith, service, relationships, and opportunities that can shift how a young person sees themselves and their future.
// LIVED EXPERIENCE
Why It Matters
Many young people do not need another lecture from someone who has never lived what they are facing.
They need consistency. They need accountability. They need people who will show up, tell the truth, point them toward Christ, and stay involved long enough for trust to grow.
Clay and the volunteers have shared lived experience with the youth they serve. They know what it means to face negative outcomes from poor choices, and what it means to rebuild a life through faith.
That lived experience allows them to connect with youth in a way that feels real. They listen because they know they’re not speaking from theory but rather from lives that were changed.
// WHERE YOUR GIFTS GO
What Your Support Helps Provide
Donations to Iron Sharpens Iron help fund the real needs behind the program, including meals, transportation, supplies, community service projects, mentorship activities, event costs, summer travel, lodging, and experiences for participating youth.
Your support helps create the structure, access, and opportunity these young people need to keep growing.
When you give, you are helping fund more than a trip.
You are helping fund consistency, accountability, faith-based mentorship, and the kind of community support that can change the direction of a young life.