Our Partners
“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”
Andrew Carnegie
The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science (Frost Science) inspires and connects people of all ages and backgrounds to appreciate science and technology and to better understand ourselves and our world. For over 60 years, our award-winning educational programs, family-focused exhibitions, and community events have enriched the lives of residents and tourists alike. Located in Downtown Miami’s Museum Park, Frost Science has welcomed over 3 million visitors from all over the globe since its opening in 2017. Frost Science became a formal GEN2050 partner in October 2022. Since Summer 2023, Frost Science has developed content for the GEN2050 STEAM Modules, provided hands-on science practicums to GEN2050 summer camp participants, and curriculum train-the-trainer curriculum workshops for GEN2050 STEAM Module provider agencies.
AVATAR BUDDY, LLC.
Avatar Buddy, LLC. is a technology-based virtual assistant designed for youth. Powered by generative artificial intelligence technology, Avatar Buddy adapts to each student’s unique learning style and needs. Whether a GEN2050 student needs help with math, science, English, or any other subject, the avatar is equipped to provide personalized support and guidance, helping them achieve their academic goals and reach their full potential. Using the avatar, GEN2050 students can assess a wide range of educational resources and support services, including personalized homework help, one-on-one tutoring sessions, and mentoring advice for everyday situations involving their school, family, and social lives. GEN2050 staff, mentors, and students have utilized Avatar Buddy since June 2023.
Lion Fruit Farms
Lion Fruit Farms is committed to sustainability and environmental stewardship. By adopting regenerative organic practices, Lion Fruit Farm aims to restore and enhance the health of the soil, water, and ecosystems. Their approach focuses on building soil fertility, promoting biodiversity, minimizing the use of synthetic materials, ensuring the long-term viability of the farm, and preserving the natural resources for future generations. Lion Fruit Farms became a collaborative partner of GEN2050 in 2022.
Patch of Heaven Sanctuary
GEN2050® and Patch of Heaven Sanctuary (POHS) partnered together from May 2018 to August 2022 to manage their honey bee colonies, educate the community on the importance of honey bees as pollinators, and provide an outdoor science education experience for GEN2050 students. In the spring of 2019, GEN2050® collaborated with POHS on an innovative project entitled, “The Bats, Bees, and Butterflies Project.”
NPCA
Through the generosity of the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), the students in the GEN2050® Program have had the opportunity to learn about the importance of environmental conservation and environmental stewardship, using the National Parks as a learning lab.
The Mission Continues
The Mission Continues is a national, nonpartisan nonprofit that empowers veterans to continue their service, and empowers communities with veteran talent, skills and preparedness to generate visible impact.
In 2018, veterans and GEN2050® youth worked hand in
hand to renovate the Trinity Church Urban Garden and urban beekeeping apiary, which has been used for GEN2050® to conduct classes focusing on entrepreneurship, self-leadership, environmental conservation, urban gardening, and community service. Funding for this project was provided by The Miami Foundation and Target.
Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine Green Family Foundation Neighborhood Health Education Learning Program (NeighborhoodHELP)
Florida International University’s (FIU) NeighborhoodHELP® with neurologist and mindfulness expert Dr. Gus Castellanos have partnered to deliver mindfulness education and meditation practices to the students in the GEN2050® Program. Mindfulness, as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one's thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis.
GEN2050® students in the 2019 cohort participated in the development of evidence based research on the impact of mindfulness on youth.
NFTE
The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) helps change the mindsets of students by equipping young people with an innovator’s eye and a founder’s grit–the skills to excel in an innovation economy.
GEN2050®️ youth have learned entrepreneurship skills and developed their own business plan utilizing NFTE curriculum.
PlanBE_
Trinity Church’s Peacemaker Family Center PlanBe programs are funded by the United States Department of Health & Human Services. Since 2010, the PlanBe program has provided more than 70,000 unduplicated middle and high school students in Miami-Dade County with evidence-based, positive youth development training. PlanBe provides students with education and skills for developing self-efficacy, self-efficacy with adults, healthy relationship practices, financial literacy, risky behavior refusal skills, social and emotional learning, and for shaping their intentions for their future using evidence-based curriculum. Together, GEN2050 and PlanBe are changing youth participants and their families’ perceptions about positive youth development in Miami-Dade County. Dibble Institute evidence-based curriculum utilized in this program include Mind Matters, Relationship Smarts 4.0, Love Notes 3.0, Reducing the Risk, Money Habitudes, Skills Pay the Bills, Preparing Adolescents for Young Adulthood
La Luchi Projects
La Luchi, Projects founded in 2008 by Luisa Estevez, is a Florida humanitarian organization focused on providing resources for children which promote a healthy mind and body connection, better physical health and eco-awareness as a way of life, creating an experiential foundation in full conscious awakened living. Luisa (Luchi) Estevez is an activist, journalist, filmmaker, performance artist, fashion designer, Kundalini Yoga teacher, Meditation Teacher. Through La Luchi, Luchi and her staff provide holistic programs to guide children and youth towards a natural, healthier way of living.
GEN2050® students engage in mindfulness practices and mindful movement, focused on enhancing their social emotional wellness in a positive environment.
Fit Sisters Miami
The GEN2050® Program is committed to enhancing the quality of our students lives through physical activity which is why we partnered with Fit Sisters Miami, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Fit Sisters of Miami, Inc.’s mission is to use movement and their love for dance to help improve people’s mental and physical well-being. They believe, and research has proved, that physical activity increases special neurotransmitter substances in the brain called endorphins which create a state of well-being and enhance the functions of other body systems. These include circulatory, respiratory, skeletal, and muscular systems. Ultimately, their goal is to educate and motivate students to live a healthier lifestyle.
Dr. Gus Castellanos
Gus Castellanos, M.D., retired Neurologist, graduated from the University of Miami Medical School in 1980. He practiced neurology and sleep medicine in Palm Beach County from 1987-2007. He has been a practitioner of mindfulness since 1999 and a teacher since 2009 (mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness-based attention training) trained by the University of Massachusetts Medical School Center for Mindfulness and the University of Miami Neuroscience Lab.
Since 2017, Dr. Gus Castellanos has been the GEN2050® Mindfulness Instructor. His guided meditations allow students to practice being in the present moment, aware of what is happening in that moment as it's happening, with a non-judgmental attitude.
Trinity Church
Trinity Church, Inc was established in North Miami, Florida in 1960 and is currently in its 60th year of service to the community. In 2000, the Peacemakers Family Center (PFC) was established at Trinity Church to provide social services assistance to low and middle-income families with a variety of services including, but not limited to, food distribution, case management, crisis counseling, child care, and summer camp, housing and utility assistance, youth development programs, family development programs, job development, and referral services. In December 2014, PFC received the “Champions of Service” Award by Governor Rick Scott and Volunteer Florida. PFC Executive Director, Linda Freeman, created the GEN2050 program concept in 2016 as an innovative approach to providing STEAM education to urban youth.
We Got Us Now
We Got Us Now is a national nonpartisan organization built by, lead by and about children and young adults impacted by parental incarceration with the mission to engaged, educate, elevate and empower this population. Through digital narratives , inclusive spaces and advocacy led campaigns We Got Us Now seeks to help keep families connected, create fair sentencing policy and end mass incarceration
GEN2050® began partnering with We Got Us Now in January, 2018 to provide students with an incarcerated family member an opportunity to advocate for themselves and their family.
Children of Inmates
Children of Inmates, developed in 2006 by Dr. Shellie Solomon, PhD and Linda Freeman, works with faith-based and professional organizations to reintroduce children to their incarcerated parents, create positive memories for the children, facilitate the rebuilding of bonds, and interrupt the cycle of incarceration. Children of Inmates was recognized by TIME Magazine in 2016 for its work with children and families in Florida.
GEN2050® partners with Children of Inmates to provide their program participants with new learning opportunities and experiences.
National Wildlife Federation
The National Wildlife Federation helps communities across the nation develop their own beautiful and much-needed wildlife habitats where they live, work, worship, and learn. Nearly 5 million people at over 235,000 locations have been reached through their Garden for Wildlife and Community Habitats programs, and in 2019 alone, their programs served more than 12 million young people and involved nearly 170,000 educators.
GEN2050® and NWF collaborated during the 2020-2021 school year to create and support outdoor learning environments at Norland Middle School, Miami-Dade County, Florida.
Miami Urban Contemporary Experience (MUCE)
The Miami Urban Contemporary Experience (MUCE) is an arts production company that brings brands and ideas to life with art through art exhibitions, workshops, festival production, and cultural programming. With a commitment to diversify the artistic landscape of the western world, expect a delicious dose of culture with MUCE.
Environmental Awareness Academy
The Environmental Awareness Academy, Inc. seeks to empower youth around the world to become more resilient and self-sufficient through environmental education. The Environmental Awareness Academy (EAA) was founded by National Geographic Explorer and environmental engineer, Linda P. Freeman, science educator and humanitarian, Frederick Hubbard, and entrepreneur and youth development expert, Rhonda Smith. Together, they decided to embark on an ambitious quest to develop a STEAM-based youth development program with the goal of reaching under-served, under-resourced youth around the world.
Diamond Brand Gear
GEN2050 is proud to be a Diamond Brand Gear Partner. Established in 1881, Diamond Brand Gear has a history of reliability, sustainability, and innovation. Their tents and camping gear are legendary. We look forward to enhancing our outdoor, science learning activities with our first Hestia Wall tent beginning in September 2021.
Our Funders
The work of GEN2050® would not be possible without the generosity and support of our funders.
GEN2050® was initially funded as a summer-only program by The Children’s Trust of Miami-Dade County for two summers: 2017 and 2018. In May 2018, TCT chose to continue funding GEN2050® for an additional five summers: 2019-2023. GEN2050® continues to be generously funded by TCT.
Through the generous support of AmeriCorps VISTA and Volunteer Florida (AmeriCorps State), GEN2050® has been able to teach STEAM education across Miami-Dade County.
In 2018, GEN2050® partnered with The Mission Continues to transform the grounds of Trinity Church’s Urban Garden into a vibrant, educational landscape. Thanks to the support of the Miami Foundation and Target, students and veterans have made a huge impact in the urban garden and apiary at Trinity Church.
From 2018 to 2020, GEN2050® was been a Heathy Out of School Time (HOST) site providing comprehensive nutrition education to students and families in Miami Gardens, FL. Thanks to their support, the “Around the Family Table” project was developed and implemented for two consecutive years.
The Bats, Bees, and Butterflies Project was funded by
the National Geographic Society, Grant #NGS-58276E-19.
