Jâca Cultural Exchange Program
Music with Meaning:
"Jâca’s Cultural Exchange Program shares the story of culture across borders while supporting underserved musical communities worldwide.”
About JCEP
The Jâca Cultural Exchange Program (JCEP) is Jâca's successful philanthropic program. For Wesley and Jaxon, it is "Music with Meaning."
Jâca aims to share culture from one locale to the next and to support underserved musical communities worldwide. We do this by collecting direct contributions, sharing cultural significance, and donating 100% of profits from all JCEP cultural item sales.
Purpose
Music is a unique language that can move beyond words to communicate important ideas. In today’s increasingly connected world, we can harness this powerful tool to better understand each other. The goal of JCEP is simple… We aim to celebrate our differences and make a positive impact on the world by using our position as touring musicians to connect cultural communities worldwide and to give back to the communities we perform in.
How it works
We accumulate direct donations, fundraise through the sale of cultural items from our travels, and devote a percentage of all Jâca merchandise to the JCEP fund.
Each season, we spotlight an underprivileged musical community in need of financial support and work with them to determine the best way to disperse these funds. When you contribute to JCEP, you are not only giving or buying merchandise: you are learning about the people of another culture while helping an underserved community gain better access to the arts.
What can I do?
1) Donate directly to the JCEP fund.
2) Purchase a cultural item from communities that Jâca has shared cultural exchange with.
When you buy merchandise at our concerts or on our shop online, you are automatically contributing.
Every product has a story. In our performance travels, we aim to discover customs and artistry unique to each culture and share it with our audiences. Whether it’s coffee from a farmer in Ecuador, cheese from a Portuguese artisan, or ceramic products created by an artist in the United States, we bring items from one performance locale to the next and share the story of the culture we experienced from community to community. We communicate the story of the people behind the unique items that we've brought, as well as their historical and cultural significance. These items are available in person at our concerts as well as our shop online, with 100% of proceeds directed to JCEP.
3) Purchase Jâca merchandise. 10% of profits from all Jâca merchandise are directed to the JCEP fund.
Season Spotlight
2025 - 2026 Season
JCEP's 2025-26 season beneficiary:
The Daraja Music Initiative (DMI) is a nonprofit, registered NGO that focuses on music education and tree conservation in Tanzania. Kids learn to play musical instruments, build confidence and problem-solving skills, and join in on performances—all while also learning why the mpingo tree is crucial to both their own culture and their environment. Because the mpingo tree is used to make woodwind instruments like the clarinet, it is threatened by over-harvesting, DMI doesn’t just teach music—they plant and care for mpingo trees, and help the communities there understand how to protect and sustain them. Your donation through JCEP helps DMI buy instruments and musical supplies, support teachers in Tanzania run summer music and conservation programs, and plant more mpingo trees— so music, culture, and nature can thrive.
For more information visit: https://www.darajamusicinitiative.org/
Press
Click on the images below to read articles in their online format, highlighting the Jâca Cultural Exchange Program.
Past Beneficiaries
2022 - 2023
JCEP's 2022-23 season beneficiary:
Located in Loja, the music and cultural capital of Ecuador, the Festival Internacional de Música has as its mission to bring together national and international musicians to share the value of music to the youth of their community. Hosted annually by local musicians, the festival has a strong educational component and reaches out to students in communities with less access to quality music education. Fully immersed in the Loja musical scene for six days, Jaxon and Wesley taught music to students daily, performed free concerts for the general public, and experienced authentic Ecuadoran culture with members of the local community. JCEP funds were donated to the festival for use in giving greater access to music to their students in need.
2023 - 2024
JCEP's 2023-24 season beneficiary:
A project of national interest highlighted by the Republic of North Macedonia, the KLARIFEST festival welcomed Jâca to the capital city of Skopje in April 2024. Jâca was thrilled to donate their time to the festival as both performers and educators. They also integrated and learned about North Macedonian culture while facilitating cultural exchange with the community in Skopje. Our support for this festival helped to expose students and aficionados alike to international performers from the United States. The festival's impact in its community continues to grow. Additionally, the duo donated all earnings from donations and sales of cultural items during the season to the festival so they can continue their international programming, free education for students, and local cultural initiatives.
