Building the Future: Plant a seed. Grow a leader.
Year-End 2026
Building the Future
The seeds of today, the leaders of tomorrow
“When you’re in Tapori, people will be nice to you and you can make like, a ton of new friends. You could draw. You can speak to someone if you need to. And you can help someone if they need help.”
— Empress, Tapori participant
Tapori · The seeds of today
Today’s young changemakers
Tapori gives children a space to share their thoughts, make friends, and learn the power of teamwork and solidarity.
In the last three years, the ATD Fourth World team has been facilitating a Tapori workshop with the students of the Gregory “Jocko” Jackson Elementary School in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Building trust takes time and cannot be rushed. Children learn to listen, respect differences, and feel part of a community through games, art, and shared activities.
Now, they are ready to go further. This year, children are exploring fairness and injustice: reading stories of children around the world who faced exclusion and found ways to help others, then using drawing, theater, and music to imagine a fairer world and what they can do to help build it.
The changes are gradual, but they matter. Children who once held back begin sharing more of themselves, and discover that their words and actions can make a difference. Tapori is now officially part of the students’ curriculum.
“You could do a lot of things. And you could share kindness to the whole world.”
— Karter, Tapori participant
In their own words
“Tapori makes me feel like, happy inside. It makes me feel great and happy because I learned that what you say matters.”
“I hope I can be at Tapori until I have enough confidence to be able to speak in front of a whole crowd of people.”
This is how we begin building a different future:
by helping children grow up knowing they belong, their voices count, and they have the ability to shape the world around them.
See the full Building the Future newsletter
Read more about Tapori and our new Fellowship launching in 2027.
Plant a seed. Grow a leader.
Your support has helped Tapori grow alongside the same group of children year after year. A gift of $50 helps provide books, art supplies, and music for Tapori sessions.
Give to Tapori