A few months ago, the GEAR UP community gathered in Washington, D.C. for the 2026 NCCEP/GEAR UP Conference to Light the Way, remembering the many people who serve as light for GEAR UP: our educators, families, and students. This week, we pass that light forward and honor the people who make GEAR UP what it is.

Over the past couple of years, our work has been tested. GEAR UP has faced significant uncertainty and numerous challenges, threatening opportunities for over half a million students and the communities that support them. The fight isn't over, but we've overcome obstacles before and will meet this moment together.

Despite the uncertainties, students in Utah are heading to STEM camps, high schoolers in Kansas are touring Ivy League and HBCU campuses, and FAFSA completion is climbing in rural Oregon, proof that #GEARUPworks.

That is why this National GEAR UP Week is both a celebration and a call to action. Each of you carries the flame forward for the next student, family, and community. Thank you for keeping that light burning, and for standing firm, speaking out, and keeping GEAR UP strong.

With you in the GEAR UP movement,

The NCCEP Team

National GEAR UP Week Proclamations

Click here to send us your proclamation to be featured in our updates by Thursday, September 24, 2026, at 8:00 PM ET.

Join the National Movement

Click here to check out NCCEP's ready-to-use templates, made to help you spread the spirit of GEAR UP across social media and local media in just a few clicks.