We see you: TeamWrk Foundation
As part of the Fund’s commitment to elevating truthful Black narratives and connecting communities for collective power, we are excited to share brief highlights of our We See You grantees.
Learn more about their work, their vision for a free Black future, and the ways the community can support moving forward.
1. Who are you as an organization?
TeamWrk is a charitable nonprofit organization founded by community and child advocate Lonnetta Cunningham and her son, “BasicallyIDoWrk” aka Marcel Cunningham, who is an internet personality, content creator, gamer, voice actor, executive producer, and philanthropist.
Our mission is to challenge youth to level up to their full potential by creating safe, welcoming and inclusive environments, both online and in-person. We do this by providing fun and interactive gaming nights, gaming clubs, and workshops that focus on character building, life skills, career opportunities, responsible gaming, online safety, with a strong emphasis on bullying and violence prevention.
2. What is your vision for a free Black future, and how is your organization contributing to that vision?
Our vision is to engage, equip and empower every Black and brown young person (24 and under) to elevate their game, in the game of life.
Encouraging them when they face challenges, not to give up or act up, but to “Level up” in how they respond. We know they often face challenges that are out of their control, so we work tirelessly to remove barriers and provide tangible and intangible resources, including wrap-around services, in collaboration with other Black-led and anti-racist organizations.
We have almost 15 years of experience in bullying prevention programs. It’s only recently where DEI and anti-racism are acceptable terms, but the definition of bullying is “anyone or any group who uses their strengths, power or influence to repeatedly cause harm to a person or group of people.”
So when something goes down, level up. Speak up.
3. How has the Black Future Co-op Fund helped support your work? In what other ways would you like more support?
Black Future Co-op Fund saw what we were doing to empower our youth, along with exposing them to the growing industry of esports and gaming and career opportunities within it, which are now only 3 percent Black. The Fund gave us an unrestricted grant, which we used to launch our Late Night program – a safe space for youths to gather late at night.
We would welcome any support in amplifying the voices of our young people and joining us in the pursuit to end the systemic plague that so boldly aims to rob our Black future.
