The project believes that very few people who work towards social change take the time to assess their assumptions and strategies. The Mailman Institute is an experiment to assess and deploy efforts toward longer range objectives which only a few years ago would have seemed absurd and unattainable. The strategy employed is to convene a small group of activists to think about how idealistic hopes for the future can be converted into strategic plans for today. Four to six retreats with this agenda take place each year.