This work inspired me to make a difference and help change the world, to be a part of the solution instead of the problem.
Ishmael Wilburn — Participant
Transforming hearts and minds through the arts
Every heart deserves the words for what it feels.
AIM 4 The Heart uses the Arts to teach Emotional Literacy — in classrooms, prisons, universities, and communities around the world. Your gift puts our artist-educators in the rooms that need them most.
35+
Years of HeArt Education
501(c)(3)
California nonprofit
Worldwide
Schools, prisons & more
Our Mission
We believe the most powerful way to reach a mind is to first reach the heart.
AIM 4 The Heart envisions a society transformed at its core to recognize the value of Emotional Literacy — with art as the most effective tool we know.
Emotional Literacynoun
The ability to identify, understand, and respond to emotions in oneself and others in a healthy manner — to empathize with those emotions, and to express them productively.
Emotional communication
Self-awareness
Character development
Critical thinking
Why it works
From pain to promise. From challenges to possibilities.
Our HeArt Sessions are not open mics. They're topic-based workshops where trained artist-facilitators lead exercises and dialogue, carried by live artistic displays and performance.
We believe the by-product of emotional literacy and development improves the condition of a person's life. That belief has held for more than three decades, in every kind of room we've walked into.
Our Impact
In their own words.
I was taught how to be more self aware and understand how to read a room through a HeArt Session. I will never forget the experience.
Louis Adeyemi — Participant
I really appreciated the way emotions and a message can be expressed through a song and help give me understanding of a situation I might not be able to experience myself.
Terah Ramos — Participant
Donate
We go where the funding isn't.
We often host our workshops in communities, schools, and facilities that are underfunded or don't have the resources to accommodate our services, while simultaneously needing the impact of our work the most.
Donations from individuals, groups, and organizations sponsor that work directly, and let our team facilitate no matter the setting.
$50
$250
$1,000
Any amount
AIM 4 The Heart is a California 501(c)(3). Donations are tax-deductible and processed securely through Square.
Our Programs
Four ways the work shows up.
HeArt Sessions
Topic-based workshops
The core curriculum. Language, performing, and visual arts used to develop Emotional Literacy, adaptable to schools, prisons, group homes, and recovery centers.
Learn more →
Music is Medicine
60–90 minute assemblies
Assemblies for schools, juvenile halls, youth facilities, and special events, driven by keynote speakers and performing artists who overcame adversity through their artistry.
Learn more →
The Mic Sessions
Artist development
Emotional Literacy, performance, and behavioral science combined to help artists grow their voices. Born in Leila Steinberg's living room.
Learn more →
Facilitator Training
heArt Education certification
A three-day training that equips new facilitators to run HeArt Sessions in their own communities, including an international hybrid model.
Learn more →Special Thanks
We've also collaborated on special events with Polytechnic High School's PAAL Campus, Pico Youth & Family Center, Change the Tune, the City of Long Beach, the California African American Museum, the Long Beach Convention Center, HOPICS Trauma Center, KPFK, KPRP, and Homeland Cultural Center.
Get Involved
There's a place for you in this room.
Volunteer
We're constantly looking for volunteers to support our programming. Leave us a note to let us know if that's you.
Apply to volunteer
Partner with us
If our work would be a good fit at your school, organization, or facility, leave us a note and we'll pick up the conversation from there.
Start a partnership
