Prezident Brown plays a concert to benefit the Village Project and the young people it serves.

The Village Project in Seaside was founded in 2008 to meet the needs of the underserved Black community, delivering mental health services and helping change the narrative about seeking help. It’s since extended its advocacy to serve other communities in need, such as Indigenous and LGBTQ+ people.

It’s also thinking much bigger, and an upcoming benefit will raise money to send a group of local kids to Ghana. The benefit itself is a treat also in terms of music.

The main star is Jamaican Fitz Albert Cotterell, on stage known as Prezident Brown, a representative of conscious reggae. He has released 13 albums to date, and is known globally for his positive message and chanting vocal style.

His son, Quincy, took part in the Village Project’s counseling and therapy programs. “It takes a village to raise a child,” Cotterell observes, noting that while he has a connection with the Village Project, this will be his first benefit concert for the organization.

Cotterell says he uses music to cultivate sanity and wisdom. But he acknowledges that the industry – both in Jamaica and the U.S. – has its heart elsewhere.

“They use the music, they don’t care about the music,” he says. “It’s such a weird scene now. Your song has to be streamed a million times to be worth money. I’m not into money and all that.”

Concertgoers will experience “music and dance, words, rhythm and reasoning,” Cotterell says. “That’s what we do.”

The Village Project’s Emanyatta Saturday School for children of African ancestry helps young people navigate environments that often denigrate their heritage – “Emanyatta” meaning “Warriors Camp” in the Maasai language. It is students from that program who will travel this summer to Ghana.

In addition to helping young Black people discover their roots and be proud of their culture, the Village Project provides free counseling and operates weekly Black Space meetings and Freedom Reins Equine Therapy, and monthly forums on mental health.

Prezident Brown will be accompanied by his band, I-Sound, as well as DJ Big Silky and What’s Good from Santa Cruz.

PREZIDENT BROWN plays 5-9:30pm Saturday, May 10. Veterans of Foreign Wars, 1996 Fremont Blvd., Seaside. $50. (415) 998-5972, tinyurl.com/fundraiser-reggae-concert. To donate, visit gofund.me/b296da23.