Our Vision
GEN2050 inspires and empowers youth to become exemplary world leaders.
Our Mission
GEN2050 is an innovative youth development program for students in 4th through 12th grades. Established in 2017, this year-round program engages students in intensive learning environments designed to inspire and prepare them for entrepreneurship, self-leadership, environmental stewardship, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Culture, and Mathematics), and social responsibility.
Our Impact
GEN2050® inspires youth to embrace entrepreneurship, self-leadership, environmental stewardship, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Culture, and Mathematics), and social responsibility through enriching year round programming. Click STUDENT STORIES to listen to and read our students’ own words.
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youth served
The GEN2050® program has been funded by The Children’s Trust of Miami-Dade County to serve 60 middle/high school students per summer since 2017. The majority of our students attend two or more summers. Since August 2023, GEN2050 has become a year-round STEAM program and has expanded to six additional sites through generous funding from The Children’s Trust.
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Certified Junior Beekeepers
Since 2017, 42 GEN2050® students have become Certified Junior Beekeepers.
Visit our Bats, Bees, and Butterflies page for more information.
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Community partners
GEN2050® believes in developing community partners to enhance the efforts of the program and make life long impacts for students in the program. These partner agencies have facilitated the growth of GEN2050® .
Visit our partner page for more information.
The GEN2050® Story
In November 2016, Linda Freeman had a big idea to start a summer program for under-resourced, urban, middle and high school students focused on entrepreneurship, environmental conservation, personal leadership, and community service. She titled it GENERATION 2050. Some people were skeptical when she described the program concept to them. Some even wondered out loud if the program was too ambitious and too intense for the targeted youth. Their skepticism made her more determined to find a way for her idea to come to life. In August 2023, GEN2050® became a year round program and was replicated at six additional sites in Miami-Dade County, Florida through generous funding from The Children’s Trust of Miami-Dade County.
Entrepreneurship
GEN2050®️ youth learn entrepreneurship skills and develop their own business plan utilizing The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship’s curriculum.
Mindfulness
GEN2050®️ youth learn mindfulness practices and how to integrate mindfulness into their everyday lives, enhancing their capacity to focus, as well as practice gratitude and compassion.
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics)
Students learn the basic sciences behind urban gardening and beekeeping, participate in citizen science projects, learn how to responsibly utilitze AI and coding using GODOT, and learn how their actions intersect with global environmental conservation efforts.
Self-Leadership
GEN2050®️ youth learn how to avoid risky behaviors that could endanger their health and their future plans from Plan_Be program staff.
Linda Freeman, GEN2050®️ Founder
Linda Pulley Freeman is a National Geographic Explorer committed to inspiring under-resourced urban youth to embrace science through hands-on, outdoor STEM education. She began her career as an environmental engineer with the U.S. Department of Energy in 1986 after completing her M.S. in environmental engineering at Stanford University and a B.S. in chemical engineering at the University of Michigan. Since 1999, Linda has been the Executive Director of the Peacemaker Family Center (PFC) at Trinity Church in Miami Gardens, Florida. In 2016, Linda created the GEN2050 program, an innovative youth development program for students in 4th-12th grade. This year-round program engages students in intensive learning environments designed to inspire and prepare them for entrepreneurship, self-leadership, environmental stewardship, and STEM. In May 2019, she became a National Geographic Explorer, focusing on informal science education entitled “Bats, Bees, and Butterflies,” located in Redland, Florida. In July 2022, Linda began to develop the GEN2050 STEAM Modules project, enlisting fellow National Geographic Explorer Anne Haywood, the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science, Biscayne National Park, and existing partners as co-curriculum developers. GEN2050 STEAM modules being developed to replicate the GEN2050 program in youth development programs beginning June 2023. Linda is also a doctoral student pursuing an Ed.D. at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, Florida.