Tierra & Friends

The Music & Arts Initiatives aim to enrich communities through a wide range of creative expression and practices. By making high-quality music, dance, and arts programs accessible, we continue to contribute to community progress. The Tierra & Friends Program aims to instill Cultural Capital through music for children ages 0-8. At the core of this endeavor is our dedication to ensuring that no student or school is denied access to high-quality music classes, thereby contributing to children’s social and cultural development. We firmly believe in providing an equal intellectual playing field for all children. The Tierra and Friends Program will lower diabetes rates by instilling the core principles of corporal movement through musical expression. The Tierra and Friends Program will also instill character to have high self worth by helping students acknowledge their voice and stories of triumph through after-school and weekend programs in local schools and YMCA's. We will aim to establish partnerships with 10 schools or educational centers to broaden the scholarship’s reach and contribute to social mobility by the end of 2025.

Only 62% of Latino students and 60% of Black students graduate high school on time. Young BIPOC students fall victim to their environments in inner-city areas that inhibit the mental, socio-economic, and adaptive motor skills. Black and Latino New Yorkers experience higher policing compared with non-Latino White New Yorkers. This leads to higher rates of detention, which may include long periods of time spent in jail before trial. People who have been incarcerated are more likely to experience mental and physical health problems. They may also have trouble finding employment and housing and accessing healthy food. More than 700,000 adult New Yorkers have been told they have diabetes. An additional 164,000 are estimated to have diabetes but not be aware. Obesity can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure and other health conditions. Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

Youth (under 24)

Public Housing Residents

Limited English Speakers

Immigrants / Migrants

Parents