Mission

Heartworkers Union is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization originated in San Jose, California, dedicated to empowering youth, supporting families in need, and fostering sustainable, healthy, and mindful communities. By providing scholarships, creating opportunities for personal and professional growth, and raising awareness about mental and physical health, we aim to provide resources that promote personal and collective growth. Our vision is to expand our reach and deepen our impact by offering innovative programs, sustainable initiatives, and increased community engagement, ensuring every youth and family we serve can thrive.

Our approach is structured around four pillars of development that we refer to as The Four Relations of a Heartworker: The Relationship with your Environment, The Relationship with your Community, The Relationship with your Mental and Emotional Health, and The Relationship with your Physical Body.  Focusing our organization around these four pillars helps us foster Social Emotional Learning, Connection, Expression, Purpose, and Wellness among ourselves, the youth we support and their families, as well as other Educators, Coaches, Mentors and Youth Workers we collaborate with.  

our History

Heartworkers Union was born in 2020 during the height of the pandemic, when students needed a safe space to learn, connect, and access essential resources. Partnering with Sunrise Middle School, we provided a supportive environment where students could do schoolwork, receive food, and find community during a time of uncertainty.

From this foundation, we expanded our reach, collaborating with local programs at the time like Be The Change Yoga & Wellness, Local Color, and Silicon Valley Sports to offer youth wellness programs, art workshops, physical training, and entrepreneurial opportunities. Over the years, we have continued to grow, forming key partnerships with Audacity Performing Arts, Culture Night Market, Our City Forest and several local businesses to support young artists, environmental initiatives, and career development.

By 2023, Heartworkers Union had become a movement—hosting community events like bike rides, basketball tournaments, creek clean-ups, mental health workshops and more. In 2024, we deepened our impact by providing free school supplies and learning tools, haircuts, self-defense training, and personal development resources for students in need.

The future of the Heartworkers Union includes facilitating apprenticeship and employment opportunities as well as outdoor adventures and retreats for not only the youth we serve but also their families, and other educators, mentors and coaches who align with our mission of empowering the next generation of Heartworkers.  While we continue to develop our own curriculums and expand into more Schools and Communities, our long-term vision also includes a brick-and-mortar community center and retail space where we can host workshops and events, and students can gain hands-on entrepreneurial experience.  

Heartworkers Union is more than an organization—we are a collective of believers dedicated to uplifting youth, nurturing families and communities, cultivating resilience, and building a brighter future together.