Our Mission, Vision & Values
We envision a world in which children routinely encounter the richness and beauty of African cultures, while being fully seen, deeply heard & truly loved, and while having experiences that honor their voices, spirits, and innate desire to learn.
At Heart & Heritage Center, we value curiosity & wonder, joy, creativity, compassion, interdependence, and depth.
Our Approach
We use experiential learning experiences to cultivate children’s love of African heritage, arts & culture; hands-on learning; nature; and emerging voices & interests.
Our approach is dynamic, fluid, and flexible, utilizing the resources (people & places) around our wider community across a limitless array of lessons.
Our in-person classes are deeply connected to the beauty, genius, and creativity of continental and diasporic African cultures & peoples, while exploring our surrounding community of Greater Houston (& beyond).
Our virtual, live classes connect children to the beauty, genius, and creativity of continental and diasporic African cultures & peoples through the joy of making & creating things with their hands, and other experiential and hands-on learning classes, in general.
Our Program
Our program utilizes mixed-age groupings and non-coercive classes. We craft hands-on, exploratory, and joyful lessons that engage.
We seamlessly weave in connections to continental and diasporic African cultures, particularly in the area of arts & design, so that children learn to be makers & creators - gaining skills of: entrepreneurship, critical thinking, problem-solving, flexibility, and general life skills.
They will consistently encounter the best of the beauty & creativity of African peoples, gaining an eye for exquisite design & craftmanship, and finding what is aspirational about the African continent.
They will learn to think like Engineers, Designers & Artists, learning to make tangible things like jewelry, bags of all kinds & styles, home accessories, and more - using hand sewing & mathematical/design thinking, among other things..
They will also gain knowledge of & appreciation for authentic African techniques & fabrics, like adire, akwete, aso oke, kente, manjak, and much more.
We also prioritize time in nature/environmental education, and respect for children’s interests and voices.
We currently serve children ages 7 to 16, in an intentionally small environment that allows each child to be fully seen and truly known.
Get Involved
Connect
Interested families, potential partners, and anyone as excited as we are about launching our Center, we’d love to hear from you!
Volunteer Opportunities
We welcome volunteers with expertise across disciplines. If you are excited about our approach and values, come volunteer with us!
Make a Donation
Donations allow us to make this possible. We welcome financial donations, as well as donations of materials, tools, supplies, and equipment.