His freckled face, red hair and high tenor make singer-songwriter Brett Dennen seem far more boyish than 30, which he’ll turn on Oct. 28. But the Oakland, Calif., native is certainly in tune with his inner child. Dennen, who broke out with his 2006 sophomore album, So Much More, is heavily involved with the Mosaic Project, a San Francisco Bay organization dedicated to teaching children to live peacefully in a diverse world. He wrote a music curriculum for the program, which was released in 2003 as the award-winning album Children’s Songs for Peace and a Better World. He’s also teamed up with the clothing label Life is good to help needy kids, and has a page on his Web site called “Love Speaks,” which is dedicated to recognizing deserving non-profits. Dennen’s latest album, Hope for the Hopeless, was released a year ago. It reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot Independent Albums chart, and the lilting single, “Make You Crazy,” made it onto the mag’s Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks.