In August 2024, Jaylen Brown’s foundation, the 7uice Foundation, sent five high school students to participate in the MIT Media Lab robotics competition created by Zero Robotics.
According to NBC Boston, high schoolers like 17-year-old Jesse Givens have noted the foundation’s efforts to involve students from underserved backgrounds.
“I think just the amount of people the 7uice Foundation has connected us to that looks like us and fill spaces we want to fill is really inspiring,” Givens told the outlet.
Brown’s foundation describes itself as an organization concerned with addressing the “entrenched barriers to educational opportunity, socio-economic mobility, and access to health and wellness for marginalized Black and Brown communities.” On its website and in a recent interview with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, he briefly discussed his work with the foundation.
“I designed a curriculum over at MIT pretty much every summer…I take kids from Dorchester, from Roxbury, from underrepresented communities and build the bridge for them at MIT,” Brown explained to Smith.
Brown continued, “I think that’s important because they get the exposure from the STEM- and STEAM-based curriculums that can also help shape their social mobility, so just by putting in this environment, allowing them to get internships, allowing them to sign up for different programs, allowing them to be in a space where they see their self being successful instead of being in a place that, you know, there’s not too many opportunities. I think that’s what the Bridge Program is about, and that’s what 7uice Foundation has funded.”
The Bridge Program, which Givens is connected to, is a signature piece of Brown’s foundation, as described on its website.
“The 7uice Foundation’s signature Bridge Program is a multi-day educational and leadership initiative for Black and Brown youth from 8th to 12th grade,” the website explains.
The website also explains that each program is tailored to fit the needs of a specific community rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
“The Bridge Programs are offered in various cities and are custom-built to fit the needs of each community we impact. Our goal is to connect those who have been historically denied access to critical resources,” the website states.
The Bridge Program is crafted around three areas that the 7uice Foundation has identified as keys to the growth of the students who are in the program.
Those areas are: Leadership and Activism, Health and Wellness, and Sustainability Innovation & Technology.
To ensure students maximize growth in those areas, they are connected with leaders in various arenas of social change and offered programs that integrate yoga, meditation, empathy, and emotional literacy workshops, as well as workshops led by leaders in the artificial intelligence, aeronautics, clean technology, robotics, and sustainable food systems fields.
In 2023, Brown’s foundation partnered with Boston Public Schools and MIT’s Media Lab and registered 100 students to participate in the Bridge Program.
According to Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper, “We are excited to join forces with The 7uice Foundation’s Bridge Program to empower our Black and Brown students with invaluable opportunities and experiences,” Skipper said.
Skipper continued, “The 7uice Foundation’s Bridge Program is a wonderful and powerful example of a true collaboration that aligns with our vision of educational equity in BPS. We are so thankful to Jaylen Brown and his foundation for helping to prepare our students to be full contributors and leaders in an increasingly diverse and technologically advanced world.”
Brown also emphasized the impact he wanted to create in the press release, “I’m thankful to be able to team up with Boston Public Schools and the MIT Media Lab to host our third year of the Bridge Program,” Brown said.
Brown concluded, “All kids, no matter their zip codes, should have access to these resources, and I’m committed to creating equal-opportunity education programs that benefit traditionally underserved communities. I see myself in a lot of these kids and want to give them all the chances in the world to succeed and be their best selves.”
RELATED CONTENT: NBA Star Jaylen Brown Reveals 10 Boston Entrepreneurs Selected For His Wealth-Building Incubator Program