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What Sets Us Apart
Our approach leverages the best of the "old school" and blends it with the best
of the "new school".
Old School: providing foundational lessons is the first step in building a strong repertoire of
creative arts skills.
New School: learning best practices in how to leverage the latest creative tools for artistic
expression.
Talented Artists: established artists with teaching experience providing outstanding
instruction and inspiring young people to stay the creative course.
College + University Navigation: unique connections to California colleges and universities
where students can explore programs, ask questions, and learn about the college-going
experience.
Mission
The mission of Building Equity, Aspiration, Resilience is to build social and emotional resilience, and a growth mindset in young people through equitable access to visual and performing arts.
Vision
Building Equity, Aspiration, Resilience envisions a society in which all young people have equitable access to arts and creative practices regardless of background or circumstances, that help them build a foundation of resilience and support their growth through creative expression.
Core Values
Equity
We believe equity is an essential component to a healthy and thriving society. By eliminating barriers to accessing creative arts, our collective culture and society will flourish.
Aspiration
We believe in instilling a growth mindset in young people. Eliminating arbitrary barriers to creative expression will widen the aspirational aperture in young people to pursue their passions.
Resilience
We believe resilience is a key component for healthy mental and physical growth. Through exposure to coping skills that leverage creative practices, young people will have the tools to face and overcome adversity.
B.E.A.R. History
Having a combined 20+ years of experience working within education, both directly with young people and on the administrative side, Navid and Stephenie have borne witness to the ebbs and flows of instructional trends, financial constraints, and general attitudes toward public education in domestic and international settings. In 2019, the initial idea for B.E.A.R. was taking shape: Navid, with his background in music and education, and Stephenie, as a grant writer, education consultant, and anthropologist, began discussing the importance of individualized attention, nuance and cultural context in how instruction is delivered, particularly in youth, when children are in their most impressionable, and often most vulnerable, periods of development.
In the spring of 2020, when the world seemed to simultaneously take a collective pause and erupt into long overdue debates and discussions of systemic inequality, the imperative to contribute to a more equitable society reached a fever pitch. In his interactions with individual students and her discussions with school leaders navigating this incredibly fraught period, the nonprofit Building Equity, Aspiration, Resilience, took shape. B.E.A.R. is unique in its approach to creative arts programs in that it serves as a bridge combining the vast history and knowledge of traditional approaches to arts education, with an embrace of new technologies and attitudes toward the creation of art. Infusing the B.E.A.R. approach with attention on the social and emotional health of young people navigating a uniquely turbulent time in our history, serves not only the individual psyche, but the collective mental health of our communities.
Governing Board
Navid Naima,
President & CEO
Navid is the founding President & CEO of Building Equity, Aspiration, Resilience. Navid is an educator, composer, bass player, and civil engineer with more than a decade of teaching and performing experience. Navid's vision is to bring the transformative qualities of artistic expression to Los Angeles youth, especially those who struggle with access to these critically important creative outlets.
He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering from Azad Tehran University and a Master of Fine Arts in Jazz Studies from the California Institute of the Arts.
Sara Esfahani,
Director
Sara Esfahani is a clinical professor of economics at the University of San Diego School of Business. Most of her research aims to understand the underlying reasons for low agricultural productivity in developing countries through studying the inefficiency in economic resource allocation in these economies. Sara was an assistant professor of economics at Sam Houston State University before joining USD and previously has taught statistics and macroeconomics. She has also worked as a financial analyst and time series specialist at Huntington National Bank in Columbus, Ohio.
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Sara holds a PhD in economics from the University of Notre Dame.
Stephenie Tesoro,
Secretary & Treasurer
Stephenie is an education consultant, grant writer, and anthropologist. She has worked in the education and arts space for nonprofits, K-12, universities, and social mission organizations for fifteen years. Over the course of her career, she has witnessed the elimination of arts in public schools during economic downturns and is eager to contribute to a sustainable model for ensuring the arts reaches youth who need it the most.
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She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master's Degree in Cultural Anthropology from Uppsala University in Sweden.
Alidad Soleimani,
Director
Alidad Soleimani is a software engineer, programmer, and web developer with 15 years of experience applying his expertise to the finance, insurance, aviation, retail, supply chain, and healthcare industries. Alidad is currently a technical lead, assessment programmer and IT consultant at Converse/Nike. Alidad helps startups with technical considerations that optimize their operations, and passionate about democratizing technical knowledge.
Alidad holds a Master's Degree in Computer Science from Bowling Green State University, and is studying to earn his Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership with a specialization in Information Systems & Technology.
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