In 2004, Adam Bucko and Taz Tagore made their vision of social change a reality by creating The Reciprocity Foundation. An award winning nonprofit that specializes in helping homeless and low-income youth permanently exit the social service sector and start sustainable careers, Reciprocity’s innovative curriculum gives youth spiritual, psychological, professional, and educational guidance. Perhaps most importantly, Reciprocity embodies the idea of giving back. By placing special focus on careers in the Creative, Green, and Social Entrepreneurship sectors, the entire Reciprocity community, from students, to employees, to volunteers and corporate leaders, works to embody the idea that in order to be successful, one must work for the betterment of both oneself and one’s community.
Reciprocity awakens individual talents, thereby establishing meaningful relationships and a base that will allow each student to re-enter society from a place of strength, passion, and compassion. Experiential learning is a keystone of Reciprocity, with industry leaders providing both guidance and connections.
Reciprocity’s unique methods of working with homeless and low income youth have been widely featured in the press, reaching over 20 million people with the message that it is possible to transform homeless and lower-income youth into creative leaders and change makers (ABC News, CBS News/Logo, Reuters, CW's America's Next Top Model, New York Times, NY Daily News, Metropolis Magazine, Print Magazine, Yoga+ Magazine, and Gay City News). Reciprocity graduates have landed jobs and internships at major Fortune 500 companies (Martha Stewart Omni media, Chaps Ralph Lauren/Warnaco, Young and Rubicam and America's Next Top Model) and have gained admissions to such leading colleges as Parsons/New School University, Fashion Institute of Technology, Babson College, and City University of New York.