Help Ayleen Build a Healing School in Paterson

Whats up yall ! My name is Ayleen, and I’m a first-generation Dominican woman born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey — a redlined, low-income BIPOC community full of first-gen immigrants, where survival often comes before healing. Paterson is a city filled with love and resilience, but also with drugs, gang violence, poverty, and systemic oppression. My community has been deeply impacted by colonization, and the ongoing trauma of being criminalized just for existing.

My own family has lived through it all — death due to gang violence, deportation, underage labor, and a constant fight for access to education and opportunity. I grew up with little to no access to the tools I needed to thrive. I grew up without examples of healed ancestors, only survival. That weight shaped me — and inspired me to break the cycle.

Over the past 8 years, I’ve dedicated my life to healing work. I’m a Crystal Reiki Master, a ceremonial artist, a medium, and a therapist in training. I’ve helped BIPOC clients heal intergenerational trauma, reconnect with their ancestors, and reclaim their power. But it’s a heavy load — and I’ve been carrying it largely alone..

When I moved to Boulder, I realized how exhausted I was. Pouring from an empty cup is part of the colonial regime— it’s how systems of power keep healers, caretakers, and leaders burnt out and isolated. It’s not sustainable — and it’s not justice.

Healing the hood is bigger than one person and in these challenging times, I am asking my community for help.

✨ The Vision: A Healing School in Paterson ✨

My dream is to build a healing school and center in Paterson or Passaic, so the starseeds in the hood don’t have to figure it all out alone like I did. Every time I return home, people are thirsty for this work They’re craving a memory of something we once had — before colonization, before ICE raids, before our magic was stolen.

This is especially important now, under the threat of the Trump administration — where immigrant latinx families, queer and trans folks, and BIPOC communities are once again under attack. We can't wait. We need to organize, heal, and build sustainable sanctuaries for our people — right now.

Your Support Will Help:

Fund the building of a Healing School in Paterson, NJ

Support free & low-cost healing sessions for BIPOC in Paterson, Passaic, and surrounding areas

Fund yearly spiritual festivals and making sure BIPOC artists and healers get paid

Ensure this work is sustainable — so that I and other healers can continue without burning out

I’m asking my community — my people — to help me carry this vision. The health of the hood cannot rest on my shoulders alone. Let’s build something sacred, together.

Please donate what you can, share this with your people, and let’s make sure the next generation doesn’t have to heal in isolation.

Let’s heal the hoods!