The Why

There has never been a more important time - with the high stakes of this pivotal next 50 years environmentally, technologically, geo-politically and socially determining the fate of our planet - for our society and youth to have strong moral center of gravity, sense of self efficacy, tools for mental health, and the imagination to creatively see new and better solutions. Now more than ever, it is important to instill the purpose, understanding and value of humanity and the humanities.

What the next generation is going to do with the world they inherent will be a direct reflection of their inner world and values. Amidst the social blender of hyper-evolving technology and globalization, the rise of AI without an ethics code, and the imminent global crisis of the population of 8 billion people without the resources to sustain it, its no wonder that the wealthiest billionaires are already looking for other planets to live on… Our “why” isn’t meant to be alarmist nor mired in dread - rather it is our motivation to be “of action” and “in solution.” It is our inspiration to be proactive and deeply intentional. And so it is vital to instill in this next generation - whose mental health has been and will be unavoidably effected by an unprecedented pandemic amplified by screen addiction - the tools for dealing with life on life’s terms because they are going to need it. They need a “double dose” of humanity, creativity, and imagination. They need dynamic and creative tools of adaptivity because the rate of change in this world is far greater than any point in history. It’s not just that change is increasing exponentially, the rate of change itself and innovation (for good or bad) is evolving exponentially. So we need to give them tools that are both adaptive and flexible - but also timeless and having staying power. Tools that are rooted deeply in our best humanity - tools founded upon wisdom and our inherently creative nature. Tools that would apply to any point in history and therefore have the best opportunity to be applicable to future decades of the unknown future. We would like to propose that essential toolkit to include the following tools: Acceptance, Awareness, Gratitude, Intention, Compassion, Forgiveness, Connection, Soul Esteem, Creativity, Imagination, and Self-Efficacy. And everything we do - either directly or indirectly - is focused one giving this toolkit to as many people in our lifetime as possible - with culture, creativity, and art as the vehicle for transmission and stickiness. For ideas to stick with a new generation, they need to be able to “make it their own.” Our strategy to succeed at this, is to create the space for youth culture to explore, experiment, and experience itself - while fusing consciousness and tools into the framework of the “Petri dish”, so that it is inherently embedded into the DNA of the culture they are creating through self-reflection and self-exploration. This mission will take a lifetime - one day at a time - and will grow at the speed of our donors and your generosity of resources and volunteer time. If you believe in what we are committed to achieving together, please lean in, get into action, and share our mission with everyone you know that might feel the way you do right now.