We Are Family : A Musical Message for AllWe Are Family Foundation2026-09-29 | We Are Family : A Musical Message for AllINTRODUCING The Creatives 2024: On the FrontlinesWe Are Family Foundation2025-02-11 | “My creative, professional, and academic pursuits have always centered the ways art can, and does, interrogate and unsettle systems of inequality.” — Thando Mlambo, “The Creatives” 2024 Frontliner, Zimbabwe
A snippet of our new class of “The Creatives” who are at the forefront of fighting for justice and equality worldwide using the arts. Through the Youth To The Front Fund, we’re building a movement of artists determined to uplift communities locally and globally.
#WeAreFamily #YouthToTheFrontFund #TheCreativesWe Are Family Foundation @ COP29 UK Pavilion: Intergenerational Collaboration for NDC ImplementationWe Are Family Foundation2024-11-26 | From Indigenous leaders to ministers, spanning Europe, Africa, and The Americas, diverse voices are uniting for urgent intergenerational climate action!
During our session at the COP29 UK Pavilion, the UK announced its commitment to the Universal Youth Clause — pledging not only to sign but to collaborate alongside We Are Family Foundation and others to implement this work and uphold accountability.
Catch the full session featuring all our incredible speakers on the @UKCOPPavilion channel here: youtube.com/live/9NEn2D-hScM
🇬🇧 Rt Hon Ed Miliband, UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero 🇺🇸 Russell Reed, Conservationist & WAFF Lead Delegate 🇹🇩 Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, President of the Indigenous Women & Peoples Association of Chad 🇰🇪 Umazi Mvurya, Indigenous Advocate & WAFF Lead Delegate 🇧🇷 Italo Ribeiro Alves, UNICEF M&E Specialist & WAFF Youth Delegate 🇬🇧 David Saddington, UK Head of International Climate Strategy, COP Engagement and Governance & WAFF UK Trustee
#UniversalYouthClause | #WeAreFamilyWe Are Family Foundation & Groundswell (Global Optimism) @ United Nations HeadquartersWe Are Family Foundation2024-10-22 | At #UNGA79, We Are Family Foundation (WAFF) joined forces with Groundswell (Global Optimism) to host an evening of strategic collaboration and meaningful conversations across diverse ages, countries, and sectors at the United Nations Headquarters, guided by compelling remarks from:
As we continue paving the road from the Summit of the Future to COP30, we invite you to join us in our collaborative journey. Explore frameworks for modeling authentic cross-generational leadership in WAFF’s Global Study at study.wearefamilyfoundation.org.
Footage: Stefano Castro instagram.com/stefanosphotos Post-production: Ciara Judge & WAFF TeamWe Are Family Foundation Presents: Youth To The Table [Short Film]We Are Family Foundation2024-09-16 | Created in collaboration with Hunter Williams, award-winning filmmaker & We Are Family Foundation (WAFF) Global Teen Leader Alum, this short film honors the voices of WAFF Youth Delegates as they illuminate the reality of youth participation in decision-making spaces at global convenings, through WAFF’s Youth To The Table program.
#WeAreFamilyBadili Zone: Claris Nadini, 2020 Youth To The Front Fund FrontlinerWe Are Family Foundation2024-07-12 | Claris Nadini (2020 Youth To The Front Fund Frontliner) is the founder and chair of Badili Zone, based in Mukuru Kwa Reuben, Nairobi, Kenya. Badili Zone works to ensure every student in the community of Mukuru Kwa Reuben has access to quality education, adequate learning materials and mentorship. Their mission is to find sustainable solutions that improve education while providing students with the opportunity to be goal-driven leaders and achieve their dreams.
Production House: Panzigo Director: Gathoni Matu DOP: Enock Oyoo Production Manager: Natasha Migunda Second DOP: Macharia Sound: Reuben Besa Additional Editing: Diego "D" Paul Sánchez
#WeAreFamily #YouthToTheFrontFund #TheCreativesChezaCheza Dance Foundation: Francis Odhiambo, 2022 Youth To The Front Fund FrontlinerWe Are Family Foundation2024-07-12 | Co-founded in 2018 by Francis Odhiambo (2022 Youth To The Front Fund Frontliner) and Cherelle Druppers, ChezaCheza delivers Social-Emotional Learning through the transformative power of dance in community-led dance programs to at-risk children in Kenya. Through SEL, mindfulness meditation, and dance movement therapy, children learn to process and communicate feelings in an emotionally supportive environment where they can connect with peers and caring mentors.
Production House: Panzigo Director: Gathoni Matu DOP: Enock Oyoo Production Manager: Natasha Migunda Second DOP: Macharia Sound: Reuben Besa Additional Editing: Diego "D" Paul Sánchez
#WeAreFamily #YouthToTheFrontFund #TheCreativesCNN International: We Are Family Foundation — The Power of Intergenerational CollaborationWe Are Family Foundation2024-06-26 | 🎥 CNN International: “With the support of We Are Family Foundation, these young innovators are defining their own futures.”
We are honored to launch the We Are Family Foundation (WAFF) Global Study — Collaborating Across Generations: Insights, Challenges, and Best Practices — alongside CNN International. The engaging piece explores the research conducted on intergenerational leadership while illuminating the impact of WAFF Youth Delegates at historic global convenings.
🤝🏻 WAFF Youth Delegates featured: Russell Reed, Neha Shukla, Jefferson Kang'acha
👉 Learn more about We Are Family Foundation's (WAFF) Global Study on Collaborating Across Generations: study.wearefamilyfoundation.org
#WeAreFamily #GlobalStudy #CollaboratingAcrossGenerations #IntergenerationalCollaborationCNN International: Nile Rodgers & We Are Family FoundationWe Are Family Foundation2024-05-20 | 👉 Learn more about We Are Family Foundation's (WAFF) Global Study on Collaborating Across Generations: study.wearefamilyfoundation.org
#WeAreFamilyNile Rodgers | 2024 Crystal Awardee at the World Economic Forum in DavosWe Are Family Foundation2024-02-12 | “Young people are the thinkers and the innovators who are critical to both the present and future of our planet.” ↓
Nile Rodgers, We Are Family Foundation's Co-Founder & Chairman, receives the 2024 World Economic Forum Crystal Award for his efforts to make the world a more peaceful, equal and inclusive place through his music, his commitment to fighting systemic racism, inequality and injustice, and by championing innovative youth voices. (via Billboard)
Video source: World Economic Forum (WEF) Thumbnail photo source: Benedikt von Loebell/WEFTHE CREATIVES | Youth To The Front Fund Frontliners | Directed by Michael HolmanWe Are Family Foundation2024-02-04 | We Are Family Foundation (WAFF) is honored to introduce “The Creatives” — the newest Youth To The Front Fund (YTTFF) Frontliners representing 26 countries on 5 continents and 9 states in the United States. ↓
“The Creatives” encompass 25 artivists, collectives, cultural storytellers and creative organizers who use their voice and the power of art to address systemic injustice and shift narratives in local and global communities.
“The Creatives” were introduced in this 30-second Art Ad airing on NBCUniversal’s Saturday Night Live. Directed by Michael Holman, acclaimed filmmaker and Jean-Michel Basquiat collaborator, this intergenerational video spans generations of creatives, featuring Nile Rodgers’ chart-topping hit “Unforgiven” with K-Pop stars Le Sserafim.
“The Creatives” employ diverse artistic mediums as storytelling practices and justice-driven projects honoring Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities around the world. They are:
→ Creating safe spaces for marginalized and underrepresented communities → Spearheading education equity, community engagement and freedom of speech → Advocating for LGBTQIA+, climate, arts, gender, social justice — and more
“Art and activism have always gone hand in hand. Art is our universal language. Artists and creatives are the truth-tellers, witnesses of culture and the voices of humanity who expose and push societies forward. That’s activism at its best. Our new class of Frontliners are The Creatives of our time who are fighting racism, inequality and injustice through their artistic lens creating necessary change locally and globally. As a former Black Panther and an artist and activist myself, I am honored to be in the company of this next generation of truth-tellers.” – Nile Rodgers, Chairman & Co-Founder, WAFF
“Unlike the usual TV advertisement, my ‘Art Ads’ are created to inspire, delight and feed the soul, and therefore, I am honored to collaborate on an Art Ad with Nile Rodgers for We Are Family Foundation’s ‘The Creatives,’ that supports the power of creativity in the hands of young people, worldwide.” – Michael Holman
These extraordinary young people are: Creating pipelines in the tech sector for marginalized populations in Nigeria; Ensuring a safe right to education in Israel and Palestine; Democratizing healthcare by creating novel, patented care diagnostics for disease prevention in Canada; Reducing pollution in ocean waters off India; Combatting the taboo surrounding menstrual, sexual and reproductive health in rural Peru; Providing women with digital ID for safety and strength in their socioeconomic development in Kenya, and so much more.
Collectively, their work addresses all 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and all 7 Basic Human Needs.
For more info, visit: wearefamilyfoundation.orgWE RISE Africa :: Chmba DJ SetWe Are Family Foundation2021-01-06 | An exclusive DJ set from producer and DJ ChmbaWE RISE AfricaWe Are Family Foundation2021-01-06 | In December 2020, We Are Family Foundation + Rise partnered on two events across the African continent to bring youth leaders together to build community and learn about opportunities from both organizations to take their resources and impact even further. Join us!Teevyah Yuva Raju: AgCureWe Are Family Foundation2020-08-12 | Shaken by the 2014 California drought, Teevyah got busy to ensure the world becomes & stays food secure. Check out how she’s helping farmers save 50-70% 💧 #YouthDay #IYD2020Nile Rodgers: Youth To The Front FundWe Are Family Foundation2020-06-27 | What is the Youth To The Front Fund? Listen to our Founder & Chairman #NileRodgers to learn more! Change is overdue, here’s a direct resource. APPLY! #WeAreFamilyVeendhari Kollipara: Drone-Enabled Precision Agriculture End-to-End SolutionWe Are Family Foundation2020-06-23 | 🌽 With growing global populations and food demand, how can we affordably boost food production? 19-year-old Veendhari has an answer!Priyanka Shrestha: Dignity For AllWe Are Family Foundation2020-05-28 | 👏Global Teen Leaders know a thing or two about BREAKING STIGMAS and 19-year-old Priyanka is no exception! In addition to her educational and awareness campaigns, she has distributed sanitary products to over 650 women in her home country of Nepal.🩸
#MenstrualHygieneDay #PeriodPoverty #Menstruation #PeriodTaboo #Period #NepalTanishq Kumar: CareerFearWe Are Family Foundation2020-05-20 | In a world where young people often don’t have access to the career guidance they need and deserve, 18-year-old Tanishq is making it free, accessible and more impactful than ever!Viraj Mehta: OncovisionWe Are Family Foundation2020-05-14 | Losing his grandfather to cancer after he had been misdiagnosed, then re-diagnosed too late, is what pushed Viraj into machine learning at the age of 14. Since then, he designed OncoVision, an app that predicts a patient’s risk to cancer based on their symptoms, demographics & lifestyle.🍃Chiara Amisola: DevelophWe Are Family Foundation2020-05-04 | Growing up in a poor area of the Philippines, Chiara was fascinated with technology, and equally frustrated with the widening technology gap. So at age 16, she founded Developh, a tech skills ⚙️ exchange platform for students that teaches 55,000+ youth!✊Peyton Klein: Global Minds InitiativeWe Are Family Foundation2020-04-29 | When Peyton spoke to her friend about their experiences with cultural intolerance as a refugee, she knew that something had to be done to create more intercultural communities. WATCH how she has since impacted 1500+ students! 🤝Diana Vicezar: Mymba RayhuWe Are Family Foundation2020-04-22 | Sometimes the solution to one problem is the antidote to another! Paraguay has thousands of abandoned stray animals and a garbage problem of 2,000 tons of waste a day. Here’s how Diana is fixing one issue with the other! ♻️#EarthDayJames Wellemeyer: Young VoicesWe Are Family Foundation2020-04-14 | After hearing from a peer that they were NOT going to vote in an upcoming election even though they were eligible, James decided he had to do something to boost civic engagement with young people! James started Young Voices, a 150-page civics e-textbook used in over 40 schools!👏Marissa Sumathipala: TheraplexusWe Are Family Foundation2020-04-07 | Losing her grandfather to heart disease pushed Marissa to start her research on treatment of chronic diseases at the age of only 14. Since then, she created Theraplexus, a computational platform that maps the molecular interactions of a disease! Marissa’s innovative thinking is helping identify 200+ disease-specific drug targets 🗺🤯.Lucas Scherpel: Marcanã e suas ÁrvoresWe Are Family Foundation2020-03-31 | 🌳Despite the health and environmental benefits they bring to a city, trees are not prioritized by urbanization. 18-year-old Lucas is working to change that through his app, Maracanã e suas Árvores. Maracanã e suas Árvores is rallying communities to protect what is precious! #BrazilMalcom Asher: ArtPassWe Are Family Foundation2020-03-24 | 🏥Hospitals don’t have to be as daunting as they seem, especially for children. 18-year-old Malcom is transforming how children perceive and experience the hospital with Artpass 🎨! WATCH! #ArtHealing #WeAreFamilyShreya Nallapati: NeverAgainTechWe Are Family Foundation2020-03-17 | 📲18-year-old Shreya, as seen in Forbes and Smithsonian Magazine, is using predictive analytics and data mining to identify and potentially prevent future mass shootings. #NeverAgainAnna Pertl: One Woman One GardenWe Are Family Foundation2020-03-08 | 📣“We want to help women feed their families in a sustainable way!” Meet 17-year-old Anna, who’s powering economic access for women in Burkina Faso through sustainable farming🍠. #IWD2020Zain Samdani: ExoHealWe Are Family Foundation2020-03-04 | Millions of people live with paralysis and lack access to affordable prosthetics. Meet Zain, a teenager using his passion for innovation to help patients recover and regain motor function with ExoHeal!🦾Ziyaan Virji: Affordable and Accessible Sanitation for Women - AASWWe Are Family Foundation2020-02-25 | ❗Fact: 1 in 10 girls globally do not have access to menstrual hygiene products. 17-year-old Ziyaan is fighting to end period poverty with AASW, an initiative that empowers young women to self-produce their own menstrual materials while also breaking down social stigma 🔴!Audrey Pe: Women in Technology (WiTech)We Are Family Foundation2020-02-20 | 💻Audrey taught herself programming with online resources and after struggling to find female role models in the process, she founded Women in Technology (WiTech) to empower other youth in STEM.Faith Florez: The Latina Legacy Foundation and The Calor AppWe Are Family Foundation2019-11-26 | 🌽Farmworkers pick the food that we all eat, unfortunately though, their work is extremely hard and dangerous especially with rising global temperatures. 18 year-old Faith is innovating for farmworker safety and rights with her app, Calor, that’s combatting rates of heatstroke.📲Archika Dogra: The EduSTEM InitiativeWe Are Family Foundation2019-11-18 | “Are you sure you signed up for the right class?” That’s how Archika was welcomed into her computer science camp, as the only female in attendance. Now, at age 17, she’s challenging that norm and paving the way for others, especially minority communities’, to gain access to STEM. 👩🔧Hasham Tanveer: SolvifyWe Are Family Foundation2019-10-16 | Hasham missed school for two weeks to fetch water during a drought. He doesn’t want anyone to live like that so he’s trying to transform an industry that uses 70% of the world’s water: agriculture! 🌽 📺 WATCH, he’s invented a solution.Ari Sokolov: Trill ProjectWe Are Family Foundation2019-10-10 | 📱 You might see #WorldMentalHealthDay trending across social media today but every other day, the internet isn’t always the most supportive space for our mental health. 17-year-old Ari is reclaiming and repurposing social technologies to their original intention: commUNITY and SUPPORT 💙.Danish Mahmood: Wireless Interconnected Non-Invasive Triage System (W.I.N.I.T.S)We Are Family Foundation2019-10-08 | Imagine getting to the hospital to a team of doctors ready to receive you with all of your real-time vitals, on hand ☝️. Well, 15 year-old Danish’s finger sensor technology is making exactly that a reality AND buying medical personnel TIME to focus on saving lives.Rocío del Mar Avilés-Mercado: HuR Spatial Localization & p38 MAPK PhosphorylationWe Are Family Foundation2019-09-29 | Seeing her mother diagnosed with cancer as a child was unimaginable for Rocío. Now, at the age of 19, she’s an award winning scientist set out to cure not only cancer, but Alzheimer’s, ALS and various heart related health issues.Melissa Khasbagan: 1000 Books ForWe Are Family Foundation2019-09-08 | While some folks feel there are too many books and so little time, the reality for countless curious minds is that when time is available, books are not. 📚⌛️ 17 year-old Melissa is fixing that problem and the literacy gap, at large. Here's how! #WorldLiteracyDayHunter Williams: Focal ProjectsWe Are Family Foundation2019-08-22 | Through the lens of his camera, this 19 year-old is telling stories that bring communities together to rise up to human trafficking, dementia, child cancer and so much more. Here’s how it all started! #WeAreFamilyAmonge Sinxoto: Blackboard AfricaWe Are Family Foundation2019-08-12 | How much has South Africa healed from Apartheid? Amonge found herself sharing an experience her mother had lived, & she knew it was time to reform & rebuild. As Africa prepares to have the largest youth population by 2050, here’s how she's making sure the world is ready!Priya Mittal: GroGreen TechWe Are Family Foundation2019-08-12 | Ever wondered what happens to the veggies you don’t pick because they are odd looking or weirdly shaped? The US alone throws away over 6 billion pounds of food per year because “it’s ugly.” Luckily for us, 19 year-old Priya has done the research and has a perfect solution!Kesava Kirupa Dinakaran: Hitcher HubWe Are Family Foundation2019-08-11 | Did you grow up with stereotypes about certain cultures or people then later realized those were wrong or misunderstood? It’s peak time we break stereotypes and embrace our diversity. Check out how 19 year-old Kesava is doing it, one cyclist at a time!Sneha Dave: A Chronic Condition Shouldn’t Mean IsolationWe Are Family Foundation2019-04-07 | Living with a chronic condition sometimes means isolation. 19-year-old Sneha is changing that with her radical youth community of emotional support and advice navigating health insurance+pharmaceuticals. She's our #WorldHealthDay champion!🏥 #HealthForAllCarisa Shah: CyberSensibilityWe Are Family Foundation2019-03-22 | The anonymity of social media has elevated bullies. Luckily for us, 17-year-old, Carisa is fighting back with her project, CyberSensibility. Learn more to get cybersecure!Kyla Guru: Are You Cyber-secure?We Are Family Foundation2019-02-25 | Can you imagine sleeping with your door unlocked for the rest of your life? What are doing to protect yourself online? 16-year-old Kyla has your back, get to know her movement, Bits N Bites Cybersecurity Education!Thamsanqa Hoza: From Frustration to Innovation, the Hot NozzleWe Are Family Foundation2019-02-05 | There is a drought in South Africa, it’s time to get creative about water usage! 19-year-old Thamsanqa is on it with his invention, the Hot Nozzle, which saves up to 45 liters of water per shower. Watch his journey from frustration to innovation!Jothi Ramaswamy: STEAM Opportunities for AllWe Are Family Foundation2019-02-01 | In the U.S. only 26% of computer & mathematical science professionals are female. Luckily, 16-year-old Jothi is changing that with ThinkSTEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math). Partnering with companies like Google, Facebook & IBM, they have already reached 1000 girls in the US, and soon headed to Brazil and South Africa—-Listen to her!Emily Duffy: The Duffily BagWe Are Family Foundation2019-01-26 | Because shelter is a human right, 18-year-old Global Teen Leader Emily Duffy created & has distributed hundreds of these lightweight, waterproof, heat retaining, non-flammable, + easy to transport sleeping bags, serving hundreds of #homeless people in Ireland and #refugee camps across Europe! #WeAreFamily #ThreeDotDashAkshaya Dinesh: Girls Make AppsWe Are Family Foundation2019-01-22 | What do you do when you’re told to leave your robotics team because you’re a girl? Fight it & start a movement ✊ Watch 17-year-old Akshaya’s journey to starting Girls Make Apps reaching over 600 members. 💃