Partners
The Choose Your Change (CYC) Partner Program is designed to strengthen local communities by supporting the growth of small and emerging enterprises through collaboration, mentorship, and resource-sharing. By working with local organizations, entrepreneurs, and stakeholders, the program helps provide access to funding opportunities, business development tools, and strategic guidance that enable small businesses to grow sustainably. Similar to other community-focused development initiatives that offer training, microfinance, and market access to entrepreneurs , CYC’s partner approach focuses on building long-term capacity—empowering local business owners to create jobs, stimulate local economies, and foster self-reliant communities.
Type: Founding Partner
Sector: Environmental Storytelling & Community Resilience
Location: Costa Rica / International
Green Wave Enterprises is a boutique nonprofit dedicated to storytelling, strategy, and creative initiatives that inspire care for the Earth and strengthen community resilience. Founded in 2006 in Costa Rica by Jivana, Green Wave began as a series of awareness events and has since evolved into a platform supporting media, mentorship, and collaborative projects that uplift visionary change makers.
The partnership between Green Wave and Choose Your Change spans more than a decade and grew out of shared roots in underground music and community-driven event culture. What began through the energy of the EDM community evolved into a long-term collaboration grounded in a shared belief that creativity, culture, and environmental awareness can help shape a better future.
Today, Green Wave continues to collaborate with CYC across storytelling, environmental initiatives, and community-centered programming—helping amplify narratives and projects that reimagine our relationship to land, culture, and collective resilience.
Type: Founding Partner
Sector: Youth Education & Community Leadership
Location: Bedstuy New York City
Paul Robeson Freedom School is a community-centered educational initiative that creates hands-on learning experiences for youth rooted in creativity, critical thinking, and real-world skills. Inspired by the legacy of Paul Robeson, the school focuses on building confidence, leadership, and curiosity through programs that connect education to everyday life.
Students participate in experiential learning that blends practical skills with academic subjects—whether planting food to explore science and environmental stewardship, learning math and nutrition through cooking and grocery planning, or engaging in arts and cultural programming that strengthens self-expression and community connection. The goal is to create environments where young people can learn by doing while developing the confidence to shape their futures.
Choose Your Change has collaborated with Paul Robeson Freedom School since 2013, supporting initiatives that connect youth, community, and creative learning. Together, the organizations have worked in Brooklyn and beyond on programs that strengthen neighborhood engagement and encourage the next generation to think critically, care for their communities, and imagine new possibilities for the future.
3rd Ethos Gallery
Type: Visual Arts & Public Engagement Partner
Sector: Cultural and Community Arts Development
Location: Brooklyn, NY
3rd Ethos Gallery is an independent art and design platform dedicated to making street art and creative culture accessible to a wide audience. 3rd Ethos creates spaces where artists can showcase their work while bringing art directly into communities through exhibitions, products, and educational initiatives.
Founded by Connie Byun, 3rd Ethos is inspired by the idea of the “third place”—a creative space beyond home and work where people gather to connect, exchange ideas, and find inspiration. Through pop-up exhibitions, collaborations, and community events, the gallery supports emerging artists while fostering an environment where creativity and culture flow together.
As a Visual Arts & Public Engagement Partner of Choose Your Change, 3rd Ethos leads visual arts programming, creative development, and community-based art engagement across the CYC ecosystem. Connie’s background in fashion and design also informs CYC and its partners in developing eco-forward products and healthier supply chains—connecting artists, materials, and production practices in ways that support both creative expression and responsible product development.
Type: Music & Special Events Partner
Sector: Music, Live Experiences & Responsible Product Research
Location: New York
Aloha From Brooklyn (AFB) is an independent creative platform founded by Shane Okouchi that operates at the intersection of music, live experiences, and collaborative product exploration. Through curated gatherings, musical programming, and creative projects, AFB creates environments where artists, audiences, and new ideas naturally come together.
A true New Yorker by way of Hawaii, Shane brings a perspective that bridges artists, community, and collaboration. His work focuses on connecting creative energy with real-world opportunities—helping ideas move from inspiration into shared cultural experiences.
As a Music & Special Events Partner of Choose Your Change, AFB leads musical programming, special events, and responsible product research across the CYC ecosystem. Shane and the AFB crew help bring people together around ideas, culture, and collaboration—turning gatherings into meaningful community experiences.
Type: Community Partner
Sector: Community Space / Creative Incubator
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Founded in 2020, Commune was created as a modern “third space”—an incubator and gathering place where a diverse network of creatives can collaborate, access resources, and share their work within a supportive community. What began as a grassroots creative hub has grown into a dynamic space that now includes a coffee cart, wine bar, event venue, and a vibrant food pop-up program.
Commune hosts programming for DJs, musicians, chefs, and multidisciplinary cultural leaders, creating opportunities for emerging talent to experiment, perform, and connect with new audiences. By bringing together food, music, art, and community, the space functions as both a cultural meeting point and a launchpad for creative entrepreneurs.
As Commune expands into a licensed catering kitchen, it must navigate Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) regulatory requirements to operate compliantly and sustainably. Choose Your Change is supporting Commune through regulatory navigation and operational alignment—organizing documentation, clarifying requirements, and guiding the DOHMH process so the space can grow responsibly.
Through this support, Commune is positioned to expand its programming and infrastructure, helping even more artists, chefs, and cultural leaders turn their ideas into sustainable projects and businesses.
Type: Strategic Intelligence & Market Development Partner
Sector: Industrial Hemp, Data & Supply Chain Strategy
Location: Pennsylvania
Canna Markets Group (CMG) is a hemp industry information hub, think tank, and consultancy providing data, analytics, strategic planning, business modeling, and project management services across the industrial hemp supply chain. With a foundation in environmental science and market intelligence, CMG supports clients in navigating the rapidly evolving global hemp marketplace—helping translate complex data into actionable strategies across sectors including agriculture, textiles, construction, energy, and materials innovation.
Industrial hemp represents a versatile and regenerative crop with applications spanning food systems, fiber, fuel, building materials, and biocomposites. As global markets shift toward circular economies and sustainable industry, each segment of the hemp supply chain presents opportunities for development, innovation, and long-term growth. CMG equips its clients with the insights and tools needed to make informed operational, financial, and strategic decisions in this emerging landscape.
As a Strategic Intelligence & Market Development Partner of Choose Your Change, CMG works in close collaboration with CYC to connect data-driven strategy with real-world implementation. Over the past six years, Choose Your Change has supported CMG through client alignment, partnership development, and strategic insight—particularly in identifying and securing funding opportunities across local, state, and federal programs. CYC also acts as a liaison across agencies and departments, helping streamline economically and ecologically efficient processes within the industrial hemp sector, including research and navigation of regulatory pathways related to soil remediation and brownfield site recovery. Together, CMG and CYC bridge research, strategy, and execution—advancing the development of a more resilient and sustainable hemp industry.
Type: Community Partner
Sector: House Music / Dance Culture / Community Activation
Location: New York City, NY
Founded by Luis Vargas, Redness Hayes, and Ali Coleman, House Coalition is a community-rooted collective that has spent the past 20 years creating spaces where House music, dance, and cultural connection can thrive in New York City. Through family-friendly day parties, public dance gatherings, and community-centered events, House Coalition has helped keep the spirit of House culture alive as an accessible, joyful, and intergenerational experience.
House Coalition has also been part of the broader cultural movement that helped reclaim dance as a public and community-centered form of expression in New York City. As the city moved toward the repeal of the Cabaret Law in 2017, collectives like House Coalition played an instrumental role in sustaining the dance communities and cultural energy that made that change so meaningful.
For over a decade, Choose Your Change has proudly partnered with House Coalition as a collaborative community partner. A longstanding fixture of New York City’s Dance Parade, House Coalition brings vibrant energy, movement, and community spirit to the streets each year, creating spaces where people of all ages can come together to celebrate through sound and dance.
