Josiah Bruny

After moving from the LA area to the Inland Empire, Bruny noticed disparities in the enrichment programs available to children, as well as in the community’s level of economic opportunity more broadly.

This ultimately led him to found Music Changing Lives (MCL), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization “dedicated to providing music, art, and tutoring programs in America’s public schools and community centers.”

In his work, Bruny focuses on economic empowerment, health justice and providing youth with the chance for self actualization. A community garden he began on a one-acre lot has provided over a million pounds of free produce to local residents. MCL’s State of the Youth Campaign invites young people to name the top five issues they’d like to see addressed within their communities and also to propose policies that would bring about those changes.