Providing clean water in Burkina Faso. Building schools in Cambodia. Providing microloans to women in Africa to start businesses. Providing facilities for education and health in South America. This the kind of work that TEEEM does.
"Over the past school year, we have tripled in size, expanding from working with 35 schools in just New Jersey to nearly 100 K–12 schools and approximately 2,000 students across 11 states and three countries, states Taylor D'Alessio, Executive Vice President of TEEM. “We’ve seen an incredible surge in interest because educators and students are eager to be part of a movement that empowers the next generation to make meaningful change. Schools across the country are looking for meaningful ways to teach empathy, leadership, and real-world problem-solving—and that’s exactly what TEEEM offers."
What TEEEM Is
TEEEM (The Empathy Equality Entrepreneurship Mission) is a nonprofit teaching empathy and social entrepreneurship. It has emerged as a standout model for empowering students to become global citizens and changemakers.
TEEEM provides schools with free curriculum and flexible programming that integrates empathy and social entrepreneurship into classrooms and clubs. Students are paired with one of TEEEM’s eight global partner communities and are challenged to lead service projects that directly address critical issues such as education, clean water, healthcare, and gender equity.
Where TEEEM is Now
Expansion beyond New Jersey into 11 states (Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Michigan, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Tennessee) and three countries (Canada, Ecuador, and New Zealand).
Highlights of the 2024-25 School Year
Students raised over $90,000 through their social entrepreneurship events. With TEEEM’s matching contributions, total donations will reach more than $350,000, supporting communities in Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Ecuador, Kenya, Peru, Uganda, Ukraine, and the U.S. (South Dakota).
TEEEM’s Humanitarian Travel Program in the U.S. and abroad was launched. NJ students traveled with TEEEM to meet the community they work with in Oglala Lakota Nation on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation and to Honduras, where they helped build a retirement center. Upcoming humanitarian trips are planned to Asheville, NC (July 2025); Kenya (Aug 2025), Ecuador (Spring Break 2025) and Peru (Summer 2026).
TEEEM expanded its programs to non-school organizations. The Ridgewood, (NJ) Public Library became TEEEM’s first community-based partner, offering an opportunity for adults to also work with TEEEM. A collaboration with Seton Hall University resulted in graphic design students designing interactive mobile app prototypes for TEEEM and four of its nonprofit partners.
TEEEM Seeks New Partnerships
"At the heart of TEEEM’s work is its mission to cultivate student changemakers — young people equipped with the empathy, leadership, and real-world skills needed to make a difference locally and globally." states Jarret Schecter (title). "With more students, schools, and communities joining the movement, TEEEM is redefining what education can look like in a global, empathy-driven future."
Interested in a TEEEM Program?
TEEEM (The Empathy Equality Entrepreneurship Mission) is a nonprofit providing K-12 schools and universities with free resources to equip students with real skills to make a real impact through its Social Entrepreneurship and Empathy Programs. By connecting schools with under-resourced communities worldwide, students gain hands-on experience in leadership and global citizenship while tackling modern challenges.
TEEEM can be infused into a class or club at any level and can be customized for each school, empowering the next generation with the skills and mindset to drive meaningful change—one project at a time. TEEEM is currently working with nearly 100 schools throughout the U.S. and Canada, reaching 2,000+ students, and helping communities in eight countries: Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Ecuador, Kenya, Peru, Uganda, Ukraine, and the United States.
To learn more, visit www.TEEEM.org or follow @TEEEMglobal on Instagram and Facebook.