Our Story
Built on exchange,
grounded in community.
Artistic Journeys International was founded with a clear belief: that performing arts education, practiced across cultures, creates the kind of human understanding that lasts a lifetime.
Our Mission
Genuine exchange. Lasting impact.
Artistic Journeys International creates cross-cultural understanding by uniting communities across the United States and the world through transformative arts education, interactive workshops, performances, and shared cultural exchanges that inspire connection and collaboration.
Through P.A.C.E. and the Ubuntu Youth Arts Festival, we build bridges across cultures, create opportunity where it is needed most, and leave something lasting in every school, stage, and community we touch.
Teaching artist session, Gqeberha, South Africa
Founding Partnerships
Partnership with Jacksonville Sister Cities Association, Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, Mandela Bay Theatre Complex, and Stage World Theatre School.
Expanding the Network
Partnership through JSCA, NMBM, Nelson Mandela University, and Nicky-Ray Academy of Performing Arts.
Deepening Ties
NMU, Savoy Theatre, JSCA, and Eastern Cape Development Corporation.
South Korean Student Exchange
South Korean Student Exchange in Jacksonville, FL.
Argentina Student Exchange
Argentina Student Exchange, in partnership with JSCA and The Ritz Theatre. Ubuntu programming with JSCA, NMBM, Mendi Arts Centre, Qhama Africa, and Nelson Mandela University Choir.
Ubuntu Youth Arts Festival
Ubuntu Youth Arts Festival, with JSCA, NMBM, Mendi Arts Centre, Qhama Africa, and AJI, presented by Qhama Africa.
Lion King Jr.
Lion King Jr. Summer Camp and Production, with North Florida School of Special Education, Greenlight Theatre Company, and Qhama Africa.
Leadership
Meet the Founder
Jereme Raickett is a multidisciplinary actor, writer, director, producer, and cultural curator with over two decades of experience in the performing arts and community engagement. He is the Founder and Executive Director of Artistic Journeys International (AJI), a Jacksonville, FL-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to bilateral performing arts cultural exchange between Jacksonville and Gqeberha (Nelson Mandela Bay), South Africa. Under his leadership, AJI has produced the Ubuntu Youth Arts Festival in South Africa, launched the P.A.C.E. program, and established meaningful partnerships with Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, Qhama Africa, and Nelson Mandela University. A proud alumnus of the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, Jereme served for over a decade as Artistic Director and Production Manager at Players by the Sea, directing 20+ productions. He is an experienced lighting designer. Jereme also serves on the board of the American Association of Community Theatre (AACT) and the Jacksonville Sister Cities Association (JSCA), where he is the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipal Representative.
Governance
Meet the Board
AJI's board brings together expertise in the performing arts, nonprofit leadership, business strategy, financial planning, and international cultural exchange.
Partners & Collaborators