Episode 135 with Tijuana Fulford, Founder and Executive Director of The Butterfly Effect Project

In this episode, we sit down with Tijuana Fulford, Founder and Executive Director of The Butterfly Effect Project. Growing up in Riverhead, Tijuana was shaped by the people and experiences that instilled in her a deep commitment to community. That passion led her to create The Butterfly Effect Project, a youth empowerment organization that began with just a small group of girls and has since grown into a thriving network across Suffolk County.Tijuana walks us through BEP’s evolution from its grassroots beginnings to the recent opening of its own facility in Jamesport. Along the way, she shares the values at the heart of her work, the challenges she’s faced including funding cuts and racist attacks and the resilience that keeps her going.We also discuss one of her new books in a series called, My Fabricated Truth, and how her personal story intersects with the mission of BEP. As well as future plans for BEP on the North Fork.This is a conversation about hope, healing, and the transformative power of showing up for the next generation.