Swaliga Foundation's mission is to cultivate learning globally and inspire young people to connect their passion to successful careers.
Washington, D.C. native Lemond “Mr. IMAG'' Brown founded the Swaliga Foundation in 2012 after graduating from Drexel University with a BS in Architectural Engineering. While volunteering at the Boys & Girls Clubhouse #14 in Northeast D.C., Lemond, who has a background in music composition and performance as well as engineering, discovered a treasure trove of donated recording equipment gathering dust. He set up the equipment and encouraged students to experiment with sound design and composition. The response was astonishing — students started coming to the Boys & Girls Club just to learn how to make music. Encouraged by the students’ interest, Lemond began offering informal lessons blending art, science, and math to teach students concepts like sound waves, engineering, beats per minute, digital music production software, and more.
This organic discovery inspired Lemond to create the Swaliga Foundation’s groundbreaking #STEAMtheBlock curriculum. Through this curriculum, the Swaliga Foundation is pursuing our mission to cultivate Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) learning globally and inspire young people to connect their passion to successful careers.
Our curriculum is the heart of our programming, starting with our out-of-school time (OST) #STEAMtheBlock Clubs in D.C. public schools. Swaliga also hosts family-friendly events, like the annual #STEAMtheBlock Party in Southeast D.C., celebrating STEAM, live performances, and community. Finally, we broaden horizons for D.C. students by taking them on life-changing trips to South Africa through our Cultural Exchange Program. The #STEAMtheBlock programming is centered around three main goals:
- Boost confidence in Math and Science for underserved K-12 students
- Increase STEAM skills
- Create career pathways into STEAM
Since its foundation, the Swaliga Foundation has impacted more than 25,000 underserved youth and families and has become the leading K-12 STEAM Education provider globally. We have invested over $1 million into providing free STEAM education programming for the D.C. community.
WHAT WE'RE FIGHTING FOR
Swaliga is the bridge for the next generation, working to level the playing field in some of the most disadvantaged communities across the world.
