Music for impact
Where students write the songs and lead the clubs
88 International helps secondary-school students in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean run their own music clubs, create original songs, and take on issues in their communities. Alumni return as mentors and trainers, so every program grows its own leaders.
Working with the ministries of education of Tunisia, Morocco, and The Gambia, and with local partner organizations in all seven program locations.
The network in numbers
Totals since 2016 from the 2025 Annual Report, published December 30, 2025. Read the report
- Schools reached through interactive concerts
- 823
- Student club leaders trained
- 1,750
- Community events organized by students
- 1,000+
- Original songs written and filmed
- 670+
Girls make up 62.9% of club members and hold more than half of club leadership roles.
How it works
A model that grows its own leaders
Students lead after-school music clubs, write songs, and organize community events. Leadership and creativity training supports the work, and alumni come back to guide the students who follow them.
01
Students run the club
Each school club is led by its own members, through a yearly cycle of leadership and creativity trainings, regular meetings, and community events.
02
They write songs and take them on stage
Members write original songs about their lives and communities, then perform them at school concerts, festivals, and national tours.
03
Alumni lead the next cohort
Graduates return as mentors, trainers, and coordinators. The network now counts 80 Executive Alumni and 86 trained leadership and creativity trainers, so each program builds its own local leadership.
A student’s story
Fatoumatta’s story
A portrait film by Gabo Arora about Fatoumatta, a participant in The Gambia88. It was screened at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall in April 2026, at a concert dedicated to the young musicians of 88 International.
Read about the Carnegie Hall concert →“The concert stage and the work in the schools finally became one story rather than two.”
Where we work
Seven programs, each led locally
Every program adapts the model to its own schools and culture, and stays connected to the rest of the network through exchanges, tours, and shared training.
Tunisia88
594 clubs in public high schools nationwide
Senegal88
38 clubs reaching 1,077 students
The Gambia88
28 clubs reaching 3,445 students
Morocco88
76 clubs with 3,108 active members
Taiwan88
150+ school concerts, 46,000+ students reached
Myanmar Music Festival
Ten festival seasons and a year-round youth music club
St. Martin88
First student-led club launched in Sandy Ground
Next location
Start a program in your country
Ministries, schools, and local organizations can bring the model to new students.
Partner with us →Latest
News from the network
Morocco88 Awtar Tour
October 3–9 tour featuring six student-created songs that bring Morocco88 school clubs together with international musicians.
Myanmar Music Festival 2026
Original songwriting, performance, and a growing network of young musicians and local trainers.
Kimball Gallagher's Carnegie Hall performance
A return to Zankel Hall eleven years after the concert that led to 88 International’s founding.
Ministries of education
- Ministry of Education, Tunisia
- Ministry of National Education, Preschool and Sports, Morocco
- Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, The Gambia
Funders
- German Federal Foreign Office, since 2017
- European Investment Bank Institute, since 2016
- U.S. Department of State, since 2013
- Harry and Andrew H Rosenthal Foundation
Local partners
- Action et Développement Solidaire, Tunisia
- Social Change Factory, The Gambia
- INSMAC, Morocco
- Consortium Jeunesse Sénégal