Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders
RFUTURE, formally known as Clean Green Music Machine, is a nonprofit organization with a successful five year track record based in New York City offering music programs, and experiences to young people in different regions of the country. RFUTURE partners with schools, community based organizations, the DOE and other non-profits, providing music programs designed to mobilize young people towards collective efforts in tackling climate and environmental issues in their communities through their creative expression.
RFUTURE recognizes the urgent need to address the challenges of climate and environmental degradation. Young people, as the leaders of tomorrow, hold immense potential to drive positive change. As such, there exists an opportunity to cultivate creative experiences that harness the power of music and media and give young creators a platform to use their artistry to inspire action in their communities. By bridging the gap between art and activism, RFUTURE aims to instill a sense of urgency, foster environmental stewardship, and mobilize young minds towards collective efforts in tackling climate and environmental issues for a regenerative and thriving future.
MISSION
To cultivate creative experiences for young people using music and media to raise awareness and inspire direct action to mitigate environmental and climate issues in their communities and the world.
VISION
To create a thriving global culture and community of young individuals, and skilled experienced musicians united by their sustained dedication to leveraging music and the media as catalysts for environmental justice. We aim to amplify our collective voices in partnership with the music industry on a global scale and foster climate action worldwide.
PREMISE
Music and the arts have historically served as universal mediums for cultural expression and catalysts for social change. By harnessing the creativity and perspectives of young people from diverse backgrounds, we can leverage the transformative power of music to instill a deep-seated respect for and protection of our planets life giving systems.
THEORY OF CHANGE
By providing creative experiences and education centered around music and media, our organization empowers young people to become environmental advocates. Through their increased awareness and engagement, they take direct action to address environmental and climate issues in their communities. By uniting with skilled musicians and leveraging the transformative power of music, we amplify our collective voices to foster global climate action and instill a deep respect for the planet's life-giving systems.
R|FUTURE FOUR PILLARS
ENVIRONMENT
RFUTURE deepens young people’s relationship to the environment by prompting them to think critically about their communities, formulate solutions, and use their Voice and Vision as artists to inspire change and co-create a just and sustainable reality for our planet.
COMMUNITY
RFUTURE connects our participants with established artist/activists who share their experience, inspiration, and support. Young artists learn and experience the power of music and media as agents of change and recognize their unique power and responsibility as leaders in their community.
PERSONAL POWER
RFUTURE connects young people to their voice and vision by evoking their clarity and wisdom. Through intergenerational listening and the commitment to amplifying their observations about the world around them, young people are inspired and empowered to become change-makers.
IMPACT
Music and media are easy to share and entertaining to consume. RFUTURE’s participating young people proactively share their results with their families and friends who in turn share the work with their circles of friends and colleagues. The content and its inherent messaging ripples out across communities.
As a catalyst for change, music is a powerful and universal form of communication, infusing messages with urgency and breaking down barriers in ways nothing else can.
R|HISTORY
In 2015, RFUTURE Founder Mark File Schwaller and his band, Melodeego, were touring, recording, playing shows to small audiences and looking for inspiration to energize them as they struggled to build an audience in music’s crowded marketplace. Mark’s sense of urgency about climate change and its environmental and social impacts provided that inspiration, leading to the invention of a bicycle-powered sound system– the Clean Green Music Machine– that used the collective action of their audiences to generate electricity for their concerts. They extended their performances to schools, festivals, and events throughout the Northeast, using them as opportunities to connect with young people and highlight the significance of making choices that promote a healthy environment.
The band may not have endured, but Mark’s unwavering passion, along with that of his manager, Bonnie Milner, led the two to co-found RFUTURE (nee CGMM), a non-profit entity committed to educating, inspiring and empowering young people to use their voices, vision, music, and media to pave the path toward a vital, sustainable future. As RFUTURE grows, its mission and intention are not so different from the spark that led to the invention of Melodeego’s bicycle generator and the organization’s founding. Woody Guthrie once said, “Music can change the world, but only if you sing out loud.” Think of RFUTURE as an amplifier powered, like the Clean Green Music Machine, by the energy of youth rising to meet the Earth’s challenges.
