Jaylen Brown’s 7uice Foundation seeks to fill gaps for underprivileged youth

In August 2024, Jaylen Brown’s foundation, the 7uice Foundation, sent five highschool students to take part in the MIT Media Lab robotics competition created by Zero Robotics.

According to highschool students like 17-year-old Jesse Gives, they noticed the muse’s efforts to engage students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“I think the number of people the 7uice Foundation has connected us with who look like us and fill the spaces we want to fill is truly inspiring,” Gives said.

The Brown Foundation describes itself as a company dedicated to removing “entrenched barriers to educational opportunity, socioeconomic mobility, and access to health and wellness for marginalized Black and Brown communities.” On its website and in a recent interview with Stephen A. Smith of ESPNbriefly discussed his work with the muse.

“I developed curriculum at MIT almost every summer…I take kids from Dorchester, Roxbury, and underrepresented communities and build a bridge for them to MIT,” Brown explained to Smith.

Brown continued, “I think it’s important because they gain knowledge through STEM and STEAM-based curricula, which can also help shape their social mobility, so just creating that environment, allowing them to have internships, allowing them to enroll in different programs, allowing them to be in a space where they see themselves succeeding rather than being in a place where, you know, there’s not a lot of opportunity. I think that’s what the Bridge Program is all about and that’s what the 7uice Foundation has funded.”

The Bridge program, with which Gives is associated, is a flagship of the Brown Foundation, as described on its website.

“The 7uice Foundation Bridge Program is a multi-day educational and leadership initiative for Black and Brown youth in grades 8-12,” the web site explains.

The website also explains that every program is tailored to the needs of a particular community and is just not a one-size-fits-all approach.

“Bridge programs are offered in various cities and are tailored to the needs of every community we impact. Our goal is to connect those that have historically been denied access to critical resources,” the web site reads.

The Bridge program relies on three areas that the 7uice Foundation has identified as key to the event of scholars covered by this system.

These areas are: Leadership and Activism, Health and Wellness, and Sustainability, Innovation and Technology.

To ensure students’ maximum development in these areas, they’re connected with leaders in various areas of social change and offer programs that integrate workshops in yoga, meditation, empathy and literacy, in addition to workshops led by leaders in artificial intelligence, aeronautics, clean science technology, robotics and sustainable food systems.

In 2023, the Brown Foundation has partnered with Boston Public Schools and the MIT Media Lab and registered 100 students to take part 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 provide our Black and Brown students with invaluable opportunities and experiences,” Skipper said.

Skipper continued: “The 7uice Foundation Bridge Program is a wonderful and powerful example of true collaboration that aligns with our vision of educational equity at BPS. We are very grateful to Jaylen Brown and his foundation for helping prepare our students to be full contributors and leaders in an increasingly diverse and technologically advanced world.”

Brown also emphasized within the press release the impact he wanted to make: “I am grateful to join forces with Boston Public Schools and the MIT Media Lab to host our third year of the Bridge program,” Brown said.

Brown concluded: “All children, no matter their zip code, should have access to these resources, and I am committed to creating equal opportunity educational programs that benefit traditionally underserved communities. I see myself in a lot of these kids and I want to give them every chance to succeed and be their best selves.”