Brazilian and American Youth Cultural Exchange

What Brazilian and American Youth Cultural Exchange does

BRAYCE (Brazilian and American Youth Cultural Exchange) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2005 by Richard and Margot Calder that runs a multi-tiered cultural exchange and youth leadership program for motivated high-school-age youth from favela communities in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The core program places participants at Camp Hazen YMCA in Chester, Connecticut, offering four program levels — Camper (three-week camp plus one-week homestay), Leadership Trainee/LEA (four-week leadership cohort of ~20), Assistant Counselor (12 weeks), and Counselor (12+ weeks) — with an average program cost of approximately $10,000 per participant. Program participants are recruited through Brazilian partner organizations, primarily EduMais (favela education NGO) and The Sports Creative (community soccer programs), which provide trusted on-the-ground access in the Pavão, Pavãozinho, Cantagalo, and Complexo da Penha communities; placement at Camp Hazen YMCA is delivered through a long-standing exclusive operational partnership. A complementary American college-student service component, paused in 2018 due to host-area violence in Brazil, is publicly planned for reinstatement in 2027.

BRAYCE operates a donation-based revenue model funded by individual donors, corporate sponsors (notably Energea, a renewable-energy investor that also provides internship pathways for alumni), an annual ticketed scholarship fundraiser (approximately $50 per attendee), and a second Feijoada dinner event; the Calder family separately underwrites all administrative and office expenses, so essentially all donations flow directly to program delivery and participant support. Distribution is non-digital: participant recruitment runs through in-country NGO partners in Brazil, training delivery happens on-site at Camp Hazen YMCA in Connecticut, and host-family matching is coordinated by staff and a designated board liaison (Brittany Silvestrini). The organization employs 11–50 staff (effectively a small leadership/coordination team plus a board) and has served nearly 70 alumni over 20 years, with documented post-program outcomes including UN staffing, advanced degrees (e.g., UConn, University of Brasília), business ownership, and community-leadership roles in Brazil and globally.

Operationally, BRAYCE has weathered two founder deaths (Richard in 2015, Margot in March 2025), a partner-organization collapse when IBISS ceased operations after co-founder Dr. Nanko van Buuren's passing, a COVID-era pause, and the 2018 suspension of the in-Brazil student component. Leadership transitioned to Margot from 2015 and then to daughter Caitlin Calder as Executive Director in August 2025, with board oversight by an Interim President (Mary Devins), Treasurer (Richard Nicholson), the EduMais founder, the Camp Hazen program lead, a 35-year Connecticut College Brazil ethnographer, and other non-profit executives. There is no proprietary technology, app, or digital platform; the operating model is fundamentally people-based and place-based, reliant on physical camp infrastructure and partner-organization trust networks that function as competitive and operational moats.

Name

Brazilian and American Youth Cultural Exchange

Legal name

BRAYCE

Website

https://brayce.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BRAYCE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs a tiered cultural exchange and youth leadership program, placing motivated Brazilian high-schoolers from favela communities in Rio de Janeiro into multi-week training cohorts at Camp Hazen YMCA in Chester, Connecticut, supported by donations, corporate sponsors, and an annual ticketed fundraiser.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Cultural Exchange and Leadership Development

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Language Schools (611630)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Leadership, Debate & Model UN Camps (EDAMALAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Life Skills & SEL Camps (Confidence, Executive Function, Social Skills) (EDAMALAO)

Keywords

• Youth cultural exchange
• Leadership development programs
• Nonprofit education programs
• International student exchange
• Youth empowerment programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Chester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations from individuals and businesses: Every penny raised from donations goes to the costs of the exchange program and development expenses. The Calder family covers all administration and office expenses. Donations can be made via bank check using the BRAYCE Donation Form.
2. Annual Scholarship Fundraiser Event: $50 per person ticketed event featuring live auction, drinks, appetizers, and Brazilian music to raise funds for the scholarship program.
3. Corporate partnerships and grants: Partners like Energea support BRAYCE through funding of various programs including annual fundraiser, transportation and creative funds, and internship pathways for alumni.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BRAYCE recruits motivated high-school age youth from favela communities in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who have functional English skills, to participate in a multi-tier Leadership Training Program at Camp Hazen YMCA in Chester, Connecticut. The program spans four levels (Camper, Leadership Trainee/LEA, Assistant Counselor, Counselor) of increasing duration (3 to 12+ weeks) and responsibility, including orientation, travel, camp experience, homestay with American host families, and after-camp alumni support. Since 2005, the program has served nearly 70 young people.

Product overview

BRAYCE (Brazilian and American Youth Cultural Exchange) is a nonprofit cultural exchange organization offering a single, unified youth leadership program with multiple participation tiers. The core program recruits motivated high-school age youngsters from Favela communities in Brazil to participate in leadership training at Camp Hazen YMCA in Connecticut, USA. The organization operates four program levels: Camper (3 weeks + 1 week homestay), Leadership Trainee/LEA (4 weeks + optional homestay), Assistant Counselor (12 weeks), and Counselor (12+ weeks). Additionally, American college students previously had the opportunity to participate in community service in Brazil, though this component has been temporarily paused since 2018 with plans to reinstate in 2027.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth Leadership Training Program at Camp Hazen YMCA Comprehensive leadership development program bringing motivated high-school-age youth from favela communities in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to participate in leadership training at Camp Hazen YMCA in Chester, CT. Includes selection, orientation, travel, camp experience, home stay with American families, and after-camp alumni support. Program serves approximately 70 alumni since inception.
• Camper Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 70 young people from favelas in Brazil have been supported through the program since 2005
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EduMaiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016A Brazilian NGO that fights against education inequality in Rio de Janeiro. EduMais offers complementary programs in the Pavão, Pavãozinho, and Cantagalo communities of favelas. Programs teach underprivileged young people English, digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and labor market skills. EduMais helps find young people with similar ideals and goals, creating a recruitment pool for BRAYCE's intercultural exchange work and Camp Hazen YMCA Leadership Program. Diana Nijboer is the founder and director.
• Camp Hazen YMCAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005One of New England's most remarkable summer camps and outdoor education centers, providing quality camping experiences for kids, families, and school groups for more than 90 years. Camp Hazen YMCA is committed to helping youth develop valuable life skills. Our BRAYCE recruits attend as either young campers or leaders-in-training, or as counselors once they have completed the BRAYCE program. Has been BRAYCE's partner since inception in 2005.
• The Sports CreativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelieves in the transformational power of play and partners with communities to co-create inclusive play and storytelling programs. Founder Joseph Hewitt has pioneered soccer programs that transform individuals and communities and contribute to global development. Work focuses on supporting children in Complexo da Penha, one of Rio de Janeiro's largest favelas. Joe Hewitt has been a BRAYCE Board member since 2017.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• AIESEC: Global youth-run nonprofit organizing cross-cultural leadership exchanges and internships. Directly comparable to BRAYCE as a youth cultural exchange and leadership development organization.
• AFS Intercultural Programs: One of the largest international youth exchange nonprofits, operating intercultural programs and homestay-based exchanges comparable to BRAYCE's model.
• Youth For Understanding (YFU): Major nonprofit running international student exchange programs with host family placements — directly comparable to BRAYCE's homestay-and-leadership exchange model.
• Global Citizen Year: Nonprofit running fellowship-style leadership and cross-cultural immersion programs for youth from underserved communities — closely aligned with BRAYCE's mission and structure.
• Amigos de las Américas: Nonprofit running youth volunteer and leadership exchanges in Latin America. Comparable to BRAYCE's model of sending American youth to Latin American communities for service-based leadership development.

Broad incumbents

• Experiment in International Living (World Learning): Well-established nonprofit running homestay-based intercultural youth programs. Comparable to BRAYCE in mission though with broader geographic and program scope.
• CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange): Large established nonprofit running study abroad and intercultural exchange programs. Operates a broader portfolio than BRAYCE but overlaps in youth cross-cultural programming.

Emerging players

• EduMais: Brazilian nonprofit partner of BRAYCE that delivers complementary education and 21st-century skills programs to favela youth in Rio. Comparable as an upstream pipeline feeder organization.
• Project Favela: Nonprofit offering education and leadership programs for favela youth in Brazil. Operates in the same beneficiary community and mission space as BRAYCE.

Regional players

• Casa do Caminho: Brazilian nonprofit providing educational support and youth development programs in underserved Rio de Janeiro communities. Comparable mission and beneficiary base as BRAYCE, though BRAYCE's work extends to the US.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/100064683337520

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Brazilian and American Youth Cultural Exchange