Jiujitsu Lab - Erik Brunetti Foundation for the Arts

College Hill Jiu-Jitsu Lab

Black belt instructor Rene Sousa leads a small-format Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu session within the Estate-based training space operated under the Foundation’s nonprofit mission. As both an active competitor and senior instructor at 10th Planet Bethlehem, Sousa draws from a lineage known for its innovation in no-gi grappling, adaptive technique systems, and accessibility across diverse student populations. These seasonal community sessions form part of the Foundation’s College Hill Jiu-Jitsu Lab—an outreach program advancing somatic literacy, youth mentorship, and interdisciplinary engagement through martial arts as a functional art form.

The College Hill Jiu-Jitsu Lab is a seasonal outreach program operated by the Erik Brunetti Foundation for the Arts. Located on-site at Elderwell Estate in a dedicated, purpose-converted space, the Lab provides complimentary Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training to selected applicants from the surrounding region. Sessions are held monthly from May through October, facilitated by professional black belt Rene Sousa and visiting practitioners.

Participants are introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as a discipline of embodied precision—an art that cultivates strategic thinking, humility, and physical literacy. This is not recreational sport. This is the study of movement as meaning.

The program exists at the intersection of athletics and aesthetics. Its goal is not competition, but cultivation. Sessions are open to youth and young adults via seasonal application. Priority is given to those pursuing competitive training with limited access to formal instruction.

Instruction is provided at no cost. The training space is donated by the Foundation. Instructors are compensated through grants and donor contributions. Transportation stipends are available on request.

To inquire about participation, partnership, or to support the program directly, contact:

jiujitsu@erikbrunettifoundation.org

The Erik Brunetti Foundation for the Arts is a registered 501(c)(3) public charity. Contributions may be tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. All Foundation programs—including the College Hill Jiu-Jitsu Lab—operate pursuant to the statutory criteria set forth in Pennsylvania’s Institutions of Purely Public Charity Act (10 P.S. § 371 et seq.).