Developing Youth & Field Space with Heart!

Green space, park access, and trees

City of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a citywide benefit) County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

We are addressing two primary issues: First, the lack of "heart skills" being taught to children by teachers, coaches and parents, and the negative impact this has on the mental, physical and emotional well-being of our youth. We are also addressing the lack of accessible public field space in Los Angeles for field sports and free play.
More children than ever feel anxious, lonely and depressed. At the same time, more youth athletes are burning out by age 14 and giving up on their dreams. One reason for this is the lack of development of "heart skills."
The heart has its own language, its own voice, its own talents, and its own dreams. When we learn to open and develop our hearts, we find a deeper connection to something greater than ourselves, and experience more meaning and purpose in life.
Net proceeds from teaching Play with Heart will serve the TM23 Foundation's mission to build and activate more public field space in LA parks and schools. Each field is called Tommy's Field.

"Play with Heart" is a three-part system designed to teach children how to open their hearts and develop the skills and tools to navigate life and achieve their dreams.
We are starting a pilot program this fall 2025 to test this curriculum with a few youth soccer clubs in Los Angeles because soccer is the most popular youth team sport in the city and the development system is actively searching for ways to produce world class players and people.
This grant will allow us to invest in the materials and staff needed to test the curriculum across multiple age groups, sports and schools - reaching and impacting more children.Through 45 minute weekly classes, which include both modern and ancient practices (like breathwork), alternative movement (like grounding & active meditations), and engaging discussions that teach the power of energy, perspective and gratitude, children will learn how to open their hearts and connect more deeply with themselves and others. Doing so will reduce stress and anxiety, and enable them to learn through joy instead of suffering.
The more children learn to Play with Heart, the more balanced they will feel on the inside, and stronger they will feel mentally, emotionally, and physically. At the same time, the more children who learn Play with Heart, the more net proceeds the TM23 Foundation will receive to develop more public athletic fields for field sports and free play, each called Tommy's Field, for the City of Los Angeles.

This inside-out model of development goes beyond what most coaches and teachers have the time and expertise to teach. We are introducing to LA a new type of education that encourages our youth to demonstrate greater self-expression, passion, and focus, and to embrace genuine humility and originality.
At the same time, LA will benefit from the gift of more public athletic fields for children to play on, as revenue generated by the Play with Heart curriculum will help TM23 gift more state-of-the-art multiple-purpose fields with lights and no fences or locks. We have built two Tommy's Fields for LA so far, a third is in the works. Each one serves children of all circumstances and abilities, unites communities, and provides much-needed field space in LA for free play and field sports that need a home. LA suffers from a lack of public fields for children to play on. So as we teach more children to live and play with heart, we are creating more public field space for them to play on too.