Playing For Change Foundation

Playing For Change Foundation is expanding our reach to incorporate formal music and art therapy into the services of the acclaimed human rights organization La Alianza (ALA) in Guatemala City! ALA provides access to protection, advocacy, recovery, and justice for victims of sexual violence and human trafficking, many of them young girls. PFCF is partnering with ALA to expand its music and arts program to now three different locations across Guatemala, and helping train music and art teachers in art therapy in an effort to help heal through the arts. Support this work and help us give young victims of trauma a pathway towards a bright future!

Thank you to The Guardian for this feature article on the Salam Music Program and the beautiful arts center in the Bidibidi refugee settlement in Uganda! In partnership with SINA LOKETA_SINAL and To.org https://lnkd.in/e8mKaWwR

We are excited to announce a powerful new coalition in #SierraLeone to establish new possibilities for music and the arts across the country! Local music institution Ballanta Academy of Music & Performing Arts along with the internationally renowned World Monuments Fund have come together with PFCF to restore and repurpose the iconic Old Fourah Bay College building in Freetown. Once completed, the newly restored facilities are to become a state-of-the-art and free-of-charge cultural center for youth from one of the most economically underserved areas of Freetown, within one of the most poverty-stricken countries in the world. The Old Fourah Bay College, a beacon of higher education in Africa since 1827, was severely damaged by fire during the country’s civil war. The World Monuments Fund received support from the U.S. Embassy in Freetown to restore the building and is working with PFCF partner aziza chaouni Projects to complete the new designs for the cultural center. Ballanta Academy of Music and Performing Arts trains Sierra Leoneans in classical music and now reaches youth across Freetown through music education, dance, and community outreach. Recently, it partnered with PFCF on capacity building and #culturalpreservation initiatives aimed at recording and documenting diverse styles of music found across the country. Discover more about this music program at https://lnkd.in/dYWXcE3Q #MusicEducation #SocialImpact

Dear friends, today we wanted to give a voice to the founders of the #PlayingForChange movement and share this video with you featuring Whitney Kroenke Silverstein and Mark Johnson. Two decades ago, Whitney and Mark came together to produce the first Songs Around the World and created the Playing For Change Foundation, with the idea of giving back to communities in need through the power of music. 20 years after the birth of this global adventure, we’re proud of what we have been able to accomplish. Thanks to your continuous support over the years, we’re now operating 34 music and arts programs across 90 locations in 25 countries and territories, using music and culture to bring communities together and help solve the world’s greatest challenges. We need your support to continue our endeavor and keep increasing our impact! Become a monthly donor and contribute to the heartbeat of social change ➳ https://lnkd.in/e7PFsedi #PlayingForChange

Discover the Zamane Festival! This year’s addition featured more than 200 local artists from the Joudour Sahara Music Program in M’hamid El Ghizlane, #Morocco, as well as renowned musical artists like Grammy-nominee  Bombino, Meteor Airlines, Julian Bel-bachir , Daraa Tribes, Said Taragalte , Naji El Amrani , Jeunesse Desert , Roberto Luti, Azeddine Ait Faraji and more! This 2024 edition was dedicated to the vital role of the camel in Saharan life and culture. Watch this video to discover the incredible three-day event, including the inauguration of new cultural and environmental facilities thanks to support from Sahara Roots and aziza chaouni Projects. A huge thanks to everyone who attended and supported the festival, making it all possible. Special thanks to our partners  Playing For Change Foundation,  Sahara Roots,  Visa For Music , AFAC - The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, Radio Azawan, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and Visit Morocco. ➼ Discover more about the Zamane Festival at https://lnkd.in/dUxumxYS .

Dear friends, 2024 has been a year of unprecedented achievements and growth for PFCF. We’ve been able to launch programs and establish partnerships in 5 new countries, taking our number of programs around the world from 26 to 34. Thanks to your support we’ve continued to expand our impact way beyond music and arts, providing development opportunities in communities in need across 25 countries and territories. As we approach the end of the year, we’re calling upon your generosity to become a monthly donor. Every contribution matters!: ➳ Check out our video recap of PFC Day 2024! This year over 1,000 musicians joined the global celebration this year, standing for education and peace through music and the arts.

We’re thrilled to announce a wonderful music video collaboration with our Miami-based partner Young Musicians Unite to release an inspiring cover of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World"! This collaboration brings together over 100 musicians, educators, and students from all over the world, showcasing the transformative power of music to transcend borders and bridge cultures. Honoring the iconic 80’s song by #TearsForFears, the musicians play for change and strive to inspire other music communities to get involved and spread a message of positivity and unity.   Featuring artists across the globe including:   • Vocal Youth Miami | Miami, Florida • Ubuntu Music Program | Kigali, Rwanda • Bizung School of Music and Dance | Tamale, Ghana • La Escuelita del Ritmo | Portobelo, Panama • Joudour Sahara | M’hamid El Ghizlane, Morocco • Young Musicians Unite | Miami, Florida Watch the video and join us in celebrating the power of music!: https://lnkd.in/e7cCczes #WeAllSpeakMusic #PlayingForChange

Thursday night was nothing short of magical—a room filled with love, music, and the undeniable power of unity celebrating the transformative work of Playing For Change Foundation — setting the tone for what’s to come at the 2025 Impact Awards. 💫 The evening was truly unforgettable, with breathtaking performances by Yoli Mayor, Nina Marie from Playing for Change Foundation’s partner program at Young Musicians Unite, and Micaela Muziq, a student from the very first Joy Creators Camp. Each performance left guests in awe and reminded us why music holds the incredible power to inspire real change. We are endlessly grateful to our partners, Tiffany & Co., for their stunning showcase and unwavering support, and to our dedicated board and hosts who made this night one for the books. But most of all, thank you to every person who showed up to dream big with us. #PlayingForChange #ImpactAwards #MusicUnitesUs -- Jake Groshong - Stacey Glassman Mizener - World Red Eye - Karen Korponai - Carolyn Glick - Henry "Hank" M. Dudgeon, III - Byron Ward - Louis Upkins - Ronnie Madra - Josh Taekman - Sean Wolfington - Jamal Mashburn

Our team, including co-founder Whitney Kroenke Silverstein and several board members, recently returned from an incredible trip to Bidibidi Refugee Settlement in Uganda. We had the honor of hosting a Playing For Change Day event for over 1,200 community members, featuring more than 120 musicians and youth performers. Check out this recap video of the celebration at the brand-new Bidibidi Music and Arts Center! Learn more about our impact in Uganda: https://lnkd.in/dd3MTcqC  #YouthEmpowerment #PlayingForChange #WeAllSpeakMusic

We’re thrilled to present the accomplishments of our team in the Bidibidi Refugee settlement in Uganda, one of the largest in the world, who is bringing about transformative change for the refugee South Sudanese community! Watch this new video showcasing our work in Bidibidi, alongside our local partner SINA LOKETA, a refugee-led non-profit organization dedicated to empowering refugees. Together, we co-created the Salam Music Program that offers free music and arts activities to youth throughout Bidibidi. Our work also includes agro-farming initiatives to provide food and training to refugees, Prevention Against Sexual Abuse and Exploitation workshops, and even professional skill development and ICT trainings. Learn more about our impact in Uganda: https://lnkd.in/dd3MTcqC