The talent did not disappear. The opportunities did.
Global MAP Foundation exists to put back what has been taken out of schools — and to put it in the hands of young people who should never have to wait for “later” to find out who they could become.
From Port-au-Prince to a room full of thirteen-year-olds
Alain Legend Raymond was born in Port-au-Prince, in an environment where resourcefulness was not a choice but a necessity, and where potential routinely outpaced opportunity. Those years taught him something he has never stopped acting on: talent and ambition are everywhere. Access is not.
He enlisted in the United States Navy and earned the title of Fleet Marine Force Corpsman, serving with 1st Reconnaissance Battalion Marines. In Iraq he saw the fullest spectrum of humanity — courage, vulnerability, resilience and loss — and learned what service actually means: showing up for other people when it matters most.
He qualified as a Physician Associate at Stanford University School of Medicine and went into cardiothoracic and cardiovascular surgery — Cedars-Sinai, Sharp, Scripps. The operating room and the hospital hallway became places where science, skill and mentorship met.
Teaching his own two sons — curiosity, creativity, discipline, confidence — something crystallized. He did not need to be a multimillionaire to give back. He simply needed to act. To build something that could outlive the boundaries of his own experience and reach young people who deserved more than the system was offering them.
Music. Studio art. Vocational training. Debate. Photography. Strength and conditioning. Basic laboratory science. All of it, gone from schools that could no longer afford it.
Generations of students are graduating without ever discovering what they are good at, building a practical skill, or seeing themselves in a career they were never allowed to experience.
San Diego Unified cut $9 million from after-school and expanded learning, and proposed cutting $2.8 million from a $3 million visual and performing arts budget.
County-wide graduation sits at 84.6%. For English learners it is 69.4%. For students experiencing homelessness, 62.8%. For foster youth, 49.8%.
San Diego Unified budget reporting and San Diego County Office of Education, 2025.
Curiosity grows when a young person is invited to touch it
To touch, try, build, create, dissect, perform, innovate and imagine. Those experiences should not be reserved for the privileged or the fortunate few, and they should not wait until college.
So we run programs taught by people who do the work for a living — surgeons, exhibiting artists, filmmakers, coaches — in the rooms where the work actually happens. A hospital simulation center. A commercial gallery. A track.
Transformation begins with exposure and belief. The Foundation exists to bring both back within reach, so that a young person is defined not by what was taken out of their school, but by what is put back into their hands.
What we are for, in our own words
Our mission
To empower and inspire youth by equipping them with essential life skills that foster academic success, artistic expression, athletic growth, and a strong foundation in health and sciences — nurturing well-rounded individuals through mentorship, education and hands-on experience.
Our vision
A world where every young person, regardless of background, has access to the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to live healthy, purposeful and successful lives.
Our programs are for youth from diverse backgrounds — especially those in underserved, under-represented and under-resourced communities — from middle school through young adulthood.
Ten values we are willing to be held to
We put these in writing so a parent, a volunteer or a funder can hold us to them — and tell us when we fall short.
Empowerment
Give every young person the tools, confidence and support to realize their true potential.
Education
Knowledge transforms lives and shapes society. We value learning as a lifelong journey.
Integrity
Act with honesty, accountability and respect in every interaction.
Equity & Inclusion
Every youth deserves access to opportunity. We mean everyone.
Innovation
Embrace creativity and forward-thinking approaches to make learning engaging.
Wellbeing
Nurture the mind, body and spirit, promoting healthy lifestyles.
Community
Strengthen the bonds between youth, families, educators and professionals.
Leadership
Cultivate responsibility, empathy, confidence and empowerment.
Excellence
Strive for the highest standards in all we do.
Service
True success comes from giving back.
The programs that came first are the reason this one exists
Global MAP Foundation was recognized as a 501(c)(3) charity by the IRS in February 2023. The work that led to it started years earlier, privately, out of our founder’s own pocket — a six-week youth filmmaking program where young people wrote, shot, edited and screened their own short films, and youth speed and conditioning coaching for young athletes.
Both worked. Both had the same problem: they cost money to join — which meant the young people who stood to gain most were precisely the ones who could not come. That is why the Foundation exists.
Led by a practicing clinician, taught by working professionals
Alain “Al” Raymond, MMS, PA-C
Founder and Executive Director. Navy veteran and former Fleet Marine Force combat corpsman, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, two tours in Iraq. Stanford-trained Physician Associate with a Master of Medical Science from Saint Francis University. Over a decade in cardiothoracic and cardiovascular surgery, including transplant, at Cedars-Sinai, Sharp HealthCare, Scripps Health and UC Irvine. Certified strength and conditioning coach. Father of two.
Our board
Global MAP Foundation is governed by a volunteer board of directors. The full roster, our bylaws, conflict of interest policy and document retention policy are available on request.
Our teachers
Global MAP Foundation has no paid staff. Every session is taught by working professionals who volunteer their day — physician assistants, nurse practitioners, surgeons, anesthesiologists, pharmacists, nurses, exhibiting artists and coaches. It is why a student is taught by someone who does the job, not someone who read about it.
Child safety
Our clinical volunteers are mandated reporters under California law by virtue of their professional licenses. Students are never unsupervised, and every station is staffed by a licensed professional.
We would rather be checked than trusted
We are a young organization. Our determination letter, board roster, certificates of insurance and child-safety policies are available to anyone who asks, without a reason.