Jay-Z has always been about financial empowerment. Now it looks like he’s teaming up with a powerhouse to usher in a new wave money literacy for others looking to learn more about cryptocurrency.
The hip-hop legend and prolific businessman partnered with Twitter founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey to launch The Bitcoin Academy, an educational program for residents of the Marcy Houses project Brooklyn, New York where Jay-Z was raised.
The program will offer online and in-person classes to Marcy residents alongside with dinner. Those who are enrolled will get smartphones, and data plans of their own to keep. The program also includes an initiative for children “Crypto Kids Camp” for two Saturdays.
“The Shawn Carter Foundation has always been about providing educational access and opening doors of opportunity to underserved communities,” Gloria Carter, Jay-Z’s mother, said in a statement shared with Rolling Stone. “No one should be left out or behind. We truly appreciate the partnership with Block and Jack Dorsey to bring financial, specifically bitcoin education to the Marcy residents, where I spent many years raising my family.”
“Bitcoin Academy, starting in Marcy, a place that taught me so much, is hopefully the first of many,” Jay-Z said in a statement on Twitter, reported by Rolling Stone. “The simple goal is to provide people tools to build independence for themselves and then the community around them.”
“Bitcoin is becoming a critical tool for many in Africa and Central and South America,” Dorsey wrote on Twitter. “We believe the same potential exists within communities in the U.S. Our goal is to prove that making powerful tools more available to people enables them to build greater independence. Education is where we start. This isn’t just about bitcoin…it’s about long-term thinking, local economies, and self-confidence.”
The program kicked off on June 22 and will run until Sept. 7.