Thrive Collective
We are proud to present another meaningful collaboration with I.S. 117. “I Need My Respect & Let It Burn” is an original song created by middle school students that explores the powerful connection between learning, respect, and passion. When respect is present, learning can flourish—and the spark of passion can ignite. Through this project, students…
read moreThrive Collective Art Academy x PS 34 Franklin D. Roosevelt x University Settlement x Council Member Epstein Thrive Collective’s Art Academy is an interdisciplinary hands on experience for students. This spring at PS 34, University Settlement after school program students were invited to explore and interpret the theme “Tomorrow Starts Today” through beats, rhymes and…
read moreProjectivity and Thrive Collective proudly present R.H.Y.M.E. at PS 44 Staten Island. Over the course of a semester-long project-based learning experience, students at PS 44 explored songwriting, hip-hop art and culture, audio recording, and the powerful connection between mic skills and life skills—including communication, collaboration, creativity, confidence, and community. “Classroom” is an original song written…
read moreR.H.Y.M.E is proud to celebrate another dynamic collaboration with M.S. 279 Captain Manuel Rivera, Jr. sponsored by New York City Council member Pierina Sanchez. “Life’s a Ride” is an an original song and music video written and performed by M.S 279 middle school students with guidance from Thrive Collective teaching artists, Jamell Ogbonna, Caleb Giles…
read moreR.H.Y.M.E x BMCC Spring 26 Students and staff at BMCC are exploring the therapeutic nature of art and Hip Hop through R.H.Y.M.E (Rhymes Help Young Minds Excel). The process of collaborative art making strengthens community, expands our social network and cultivates a sense of belonging. During the 2026 spring semester students gathered twice a week…
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Students from six Queens middle schools will converge at Roy Wilkins Park for the 2026 Queens HeART Beat Festival on May 28 from 10am – 1pm. Join us to provide an interactive, arts-based field day experience celebrating the completion of the Art a Catalyst for Change anti-gun violence initiative. Sponsored by the NYC Council, in…
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Randy Mason Returns from Next Level 11.0 Cultural Exchange in Mexico We’re proud to celebrate Randy Mason, RHYME (Rhymes Help Youth Minds Excel) Director at Thrive Collective, who recently returned from Next Level 11.0 after serving as a teaching artist in La Laguna, Mexico. The program, organized by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of…
read moreCity as a Playground: A Rap on Leadership, Hope, and the Wheel of Change Cities often get described in the language of crisis—battlegrounds of competition, inequality, and noise. But artist and leader Randy Mason of Thrive Collective invites us to imagine something different. Inspired by the work of Leadership Foundations and the reflections of Dave…
read moreR.H.Y.M.E x Renaissance School of the Arts We’re proud to celebrate another powerful creative collaboration with the Renaissance School of the Arts (RSA) sponsored by New York City Council. Since 2021, Thrive Collective and RSA’s staff and students have partnered on multiple mural and music projects that highlight the community’s talent, creativity, diversity, and unity.…
read moreR.H.Y.M.E | BMCC Counseling Department & UMLA, The Urban Male Leadership Academy BMCC students explored Hip Hop and the creative arts as an alternative to traditional talk therapy twice a week for 10 weeks as they worked collaboratively to produce “Breakthrough” an original song, cover art and music video based on the theme freedom. Healing…
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