Andre's Memory Will not be Lost in a Headline...​

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Andre' Lamont Smith III is the younger cousin of TRI Founder, Tanesha Peeples, whose life was tragically cut short due to gun violence in August, 2022.

 

Like many teens, Andre' wasn't "perfect" but, he was gifted. An honor student at Urban Prep Academies in Chicago, Andre' developed a great interest in learning about African American history.

 

Before his passing, Andre' approached his Africana Studies instructor and asked him to "keep telling the truth". He was excited about exploring his lineage and at the age of 16, was journeying into his excellence.

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This fellowship is in honor, power and loving memory of Andre'. It's for young people like him who will create their own ethos of excellence instead of subscribing to the world's standards of perfection. And it's for Black youth leaders that seek to know the truth.

 

What Goes Down in the ALS Fellowship

 

Our flagship program, the ALS Fellowship, is for Black youth who have the propensity and interest in developing initiatives rooted in social and racial justice.  We support them in enhancing their leadership skills, specifically honing in on wellness and healing, who they are, their “why” and “how” to effect change. Through innovative workshops, resources and tools, we explore, analyze and connect historical movements to current lived experience, using design thinking to bring their visions for liberation to fruition.

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Leaders ages 11-14 participate in workshops, labs and activities stemming from the following principles:

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• Cultural Identity Restoration

• Social and Emotional Wellness

• Building Collective Responsibility and Power 

                                   

Outcomes of the ALS Fellowship

 

• Fellows will experience increased awareness around cultural and individual identity, community connectedness, and a stronger ability to manage trauma and emotion. Additionally, they will have greater exposure to environments outside of those they interact with daily. 

• Fellows will sharpen critical consciousness, strategic planning and leadership skills through the exploration and analysis of historical and current social movements.

• Through the implementation of fellow-designed capstone projects, leaders will be able to articulate ways they're able to address and mitigate issues of injustice and dismantle systems of oppression to create pathways to liberation.

• ​Fellows will have increased access to learning, academic, mentorship and internship avenues through our Purposed Pathways Pipeline.  

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