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Announcing Dream Tank Kenya: Where Mental Wellness Meets Youth Innovation
Dream Tank Kenya is the next evolution of youth-led innovation in Africa, a dynamic partnership between Safehouse Kenya and Dream Tank Global. Together, we are creating a platform where mental wellness, creativity, and leadership intersect, equipping young people with the tools they need to heal, thrive, and drive social change.
This initiative is not simply a collaboration; it is a movement. Dream Tank Kenya combines the lived experiences of young people with global innovation practices to create programs that are deeply relevant, impactful, and sustainable.
Our Story
Safehouse Kenya was born in 2020, during the global pandemic. At a time when mental health challenges were escalating worldwide, young people in Kenya were especially vulnerable, isolated, uncertain, and in need of connection. Recognizing this need, Safehouse Kenya emerged as a youth-led initiative in Nairobi that sought to provide a safe space for healing, expression, and community. What began as small gatherings and digital conversations rapidly grew into a recognized hub for mental wellness and creativity. Safehouse pioneered art therapy sessions, storytelling initiatives, school outreach programs, and community campaigns that made mental health both relatable and accessible. Each project carried a simple yet powerful message: youth voices matter, and healing is possible. Over the years, Safehouse expanded its reach across schools, children’s homes, and local communities, blending creativity with advocacy to inspire resilience and belonging. Its work became known not only for raising awareness but for practicing care, turning art into therapy, and conversations into movements.
In October 2024, the spark ignited when Thee Safehouse Kenya connected with Dream Tank Global — and the synergy was instant. We first explored collaboration during Dream Tank’s 4th Annual Brown University “Winternship” in January 2025 — a two-week internship and immersive innovation design sprint where Brown students work with alumni-led impact ventures. Safehouse Kenya joined as a spotlight partner, helping prototype a scaling model first in Dream Tank Kenya, while Brown undergraduates received stipends (underwritten by Brown University) to co-design impactful solutions. With Heidi Cuppari (Dream Tank’s founder and Brown alum, Class of ’95) championing deeper alumni engagement, this program models how global innovation and community-rooted leadership can co-create sustainable change. The Winternship catalyzed this launch — and it’s just the beginning.

Meet the Safehouse Kenya team- a passionate group of youth leaders turning art, wellness, and creativity into tools for healing and change.
Today, through its integration with Dream Tank Global, Safehouse evolves into Dream Tank Kenya, amplifying its mission on a larger stage. With this partnership, we align Kenyan youth with global innovation networks, giving them opportunities to dream, design, and launch solutions that transform communities.
This launch also reflects the collective guidance of the Spiral Guardianship Council, a constellation of stewards and visionaries forming since February 2025 to anchor Dream Tank’s evolution into a verb and a movement, which will be held in an international trust for generations to come. Dream Tank Kenya is one of the first global hubs to emerge through this trust — embodying our Network of the Whole in action.
Our Programs
At Dream Tank Kenya, our programs are designed to bridge creativity and leadership with healing and wellness.
🎨 Art Therapy for Healing
Guided sessions using painting, poetry, music, and storytelling as safe outlets for expression and recovery. These workshops allow youth to process emotions, build resilience, and discover new possibilities for self-expression.
🚀 Dream-Design-Launch Workshops
An innovation model that empowers youth to co-create solutions to local and global challenges. These workshops move participants from imagination to action, enabling them to design initiatives that directly benefit their communities.
🏫 Community Activations
School programs, children’s home visits, and grassroots outreach initiatives that extend safe spaces into communities. These activations spark conversations around mental health, self-worth, and creativity while equipping youth with tangible tools for personal growth.
🌐 Global Youth Connection
Through our partnership with Dream Tank Global, Kenyan youth are connected to international opportunities such as Dream Tank’s 195 in 365 initiative. This ensures that young leaders in Kenya are not only transforming their local communities but are also part of a worldwide movement of changemakers.
🎥 Content Creation and Storytelling
Producing films, podcasts, reels, and digital media that reflect youth voices, raise awareness, and inspire global audiences. Our creative communications are central to breaking stigma and sparking dialogue on mental wellness and innovation.
Our Team
The strength of Dream Tank Kenya lies in its people, a passionate, youth-led team committed to building spaces of healing and change.
Derrick Barrack – Creative Director & Communications Lead
Derrick drives storytelling, videography, and digital content creation, ensuring that our message resonates widely and authentically.
Dillon Mulindi – Community Outreach & Partnerships
Dillon brings a grassroots focus, ensuring that our programs reach schools, orphanages, and underserved communities. His work ensures that the movement remains grounded in real needs.
Arnold Mulindi – Operations & Strategy
Arnold oversees systems, logistics, and growth strategies, ensuring that Dream Tank Kenya functions effectively while scaling impact.
Elizabeth Maingi – Mental Wellness & Programs Lead
Elizabeth specializes in art therapy and youth-centered wellness initiatives, anchoring the organization in its mission to use creativity as a tool for healing and empowerment.
Who We Serve
Dream Tank Kenya is designed for:
- The Youth seeking healing, purpose, and a platform to express themselves.
- Educators and mentors seeking innovative approaches to integrate mental wellness and creativity into learning spaces.
- Communities committed to using art and dialogue to foster resilience and a sense of belonging.
- Global allies and partners who believe in youth-led change and are ready to co-create solutions with the next generation.
Our Vision
A generation of empowered, expressive, and resilient young people who use creativity, innovation, and leadership to transform their communities and shape a better future. Dream Tank Kenya is part of the global Design Our Futures N.O.W. (Network of the Whole) movement, weaving together sister communities to accelerate youth-led innovation for thriving futures.
Why It Matters
Dream Tank Kenya is more than a partnership; it is a call to action. We are redefining what it means to be young in today’s world: not passive recipients of change, but active designers of the future.
Through creativity, healing, and collaboration, we are equipping young people not only to imagine a better world but to design it, launch it, and live it.
Together, we are building a movement where art heals, youth lead, and dreams shape the future.
Future Tides: Youth Innovation for a Living Ocean Webinar
Future Tides: Youth Innovation for a Living Ocean
🌍 You’re Invited: Planet Protectors Pitch Celebration
Friday, May 30, 2025 | 12:30–2:30 PM MT | Museum of Boulder
What if kids held the mic — and the whole community came to listen?
That’s exactly what we’re inviting you into.
After three days of creativity, learning, and heart-led action, the young changemakers of Planet Protectors Camp (ages 6–9!) are ready to share their bold, beautiful ideas to help the Earth.
Whether it’s a new invention, a community solution, a story, or a heartfelt call to action, each camper will take the stage to present what they’ve imagined — and why it matters.
This isn’t a school presentation.
This is a celebration of courage, creativity, and youth-led vision.
🌟 Why It Matters
The kids in Planet Protectors have spent the week learning about the Earth, exploring their feelings around climate change, and designing ideas that reflect their own spark and sense of purpose. They’ve worked with teen fellows, adult mentors, and each other to turn questions into solutions — and they can’t wait to share them with you.
They’re asking for our attention, not our approval.
They’re inviting us to believe in them — and in ourselves, too.
✨ What to Expect
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A community circle to begin
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Live “pitches” from every camper
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Youth fellow and mentor reflections
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Light snacks and lemonade
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A giving table to support scholarships for future programs
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Joy, pride, and (likely) a few happy tears
All ages welcome. Bring your heart. Wear something joyful.
💌 RSVP Today
🌱 The event is free, but RSVP is required so we can prepare seating and refreshments.
👉 Click here to RSVP via Zeffy
(You’ll also have the option to make a donation — all proceeds support future camps and youth leadership programs through Dream Tank and our partner organizations.)
💬 Why It’s Personal
This idea started with a conversation between me and 16-year-old Dream Tank visionary Kalyahn Varanasi, who asked:
“What if we helped younger kids feel empowered, not afraid?”
That dream became Planet Protectors — and now it’s real.
The youth team leading this includes original Dream Makers like Cody and Anya, and our newest fellow Sophie, along with mentors, community leaders, and families like yours.
Please join us to witness what happens when we say yes to the next generation.
See you May 30th.
With love,
Heidi Cuppari
Co-Founder, Dream Tank
🌍 Become a Planet Protector Sponsor
Empower the next generation of changemakers.
In May 2025, Dream Tank is launching Planet Protectors—a summer camp designed to transform climate anxiety into creativity, confidence, and action for kids ages 6–9.
For three powerful days, these young innovators will:
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Explore real-world sustainability challenges
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Dream up bold solutions
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Prototype their ideas
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Present their projects at a joyful Demo Day celebration
We need your support to make it happen.
Your sponsorship or donation will directly fund scholarships, eco-friendly supplies, and mentorship opportunities that will ignite the dreams of our youngest leaders.
🌟 Sponsorship Opportunities
🌍 Launch Sponsor – $5,500
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Fund the entire camp for 10+ kids
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Submit a real-world design challenge for campers to solve
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Co-branded signage at the Museum of Boulder
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Logo featured on the Dream Tank website, program materials, press (AboutBoulder.com), and across all social media channels
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Opportunity to speak at Demo Day
🌱 Supply Sponsor – $500
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Fund essential camp supplies: eco-crafts, prototyping materials, tech tools
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Logo inclusion on Dream Tank website and program materials
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Includes all Dreamer Sponsor benefits
🌟 Dreamer Sponsor – $275
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Fund a full scholarship for one child
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Recognition in camp emails + digital shoutout
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Sponsor name featured on Demo Day signage
Together, we can show young people that they are not too young to change the world.
👉 Learn more and become a sponsor today: wearedreamtank.org/planet-protectors
Questions? Email us at: heidi@dreamtank.co and Kalyahn@dreamtank.co