Anuwai Life

Anuwai Life Village is the philanthropic and social inclusiveness division of Live Long Enterprises, Inc. It was established in 2018 by Dr. Kennesha Bracely to honor the life and legacy of her son Dante Long, who passed away at age 19. This US-based 501(c)3 serves individuals residing within the state of Florida; and internationally. The Vision is to be an extension of artistic culture that develops a village that empowers and provides professional and healthy tools to artists as they pursue their passion in all genres of art: visual art, dance, literature, writing, performance, film, digital media, music, video, and curatorial projects around the world. Our mission is to create accessibility to safe, socially inclusive residential communities, provide resources, professional development, and civic engagement programs that support emerging artists with and without disabilities as they pursue careers in various art genres. We strive to enhance these emerging artists' quality of life by supporting artistic culture by providing accessible, safe, socially inclusive spaces, communities, resources, and professional development.

"Anuwai" is an African term that means freedom. Individuals that we assist aspire to visualize, perform, and speak professionally as artists. Through our civic engagement programs Anuwai Life Inc.:

− Provides trusted mentorship and apprenticeship programs partnering artists with professionals in their chosen creative industry

− Provides professional workshops, training, coaching, and seminars to artists that focus on both the business and creative professional development of their career

− Provides housing and creative studio time and spaces to artists through the Anuwai Life Inclusive Residency program

− Provides day-to-day lifestyle support, and accessibility to inclusive social environments for artists with disabilities: sensory-friendly lifestyle services, housing, recreational programs, employment, and entrepreneurship opportunities that meet their individual needs

− Empowers and supports program participants in their efforts to access global exposure and audiences

− Provides community outreach and buddy programs for emerging artists enabling all program participants the opportunity to become civically engaged 

− Provides educational workshops and seminars for parents and caregivers who would like to support their emerging artists as they transition into the industry

Our main priority is to reduce the barriers that aspiring artists encounter as they begin to embark on their careers. Through strategic partnerships with other organizations, our staff can mobilize efforts on a local, state, national, and international level. Our professional network allows us to implement a service delivery model designed to meet our constituents' specific needs.

The Anuwai Life Village's passion lies within the old The Anuwai Life Village's passion lies within the old and traditional general phrase "it takes a village to raise a child." Our staff recognizes that our constituents need transitional support that helps them navigate the arts and entertainment industries, which can sometimes foster environments that appear untrustworthy, dangerous, and financially unstable initially.

We are on a mission to develop an inclusive creative residential community where artistic visions come alive for emerging artists. Throughout our civic engagement programs, Anuwai Life Village provides the programs that are offered fall under one of four categories: Education, Health and Wellness, Disability Rights & Advocacy or Economic Development. These programs are culturally relevant and sensitive by design. Our specific education initiative provides instruction and hands-on assistance to other organizations, businesses, and individuals to employ, educate, and include individuals with disabilities. Our team has the knowledge and experience to train business leaders to revise their current organizational structure to become more inclusive. We can also provide training for parents on transition planning and implementation. Our disability rights and advocacy initiative focus on highlighting and celebrating the abilities of our constituents. We also focus on assisting with securing adequate resources and gaining access to available opportunities by streamlining (and in many instances simplifying) the process. With great tenacity, we advocate for innovative solutions that would move our patrons to a place of self-sufficiency, self-awareness, and self-actualization. We believe that having access to our key initiatives will increase our constituents' likelihood of living purpose-driven lives.