Photo Credit: Stephanie Rhoades-Hume
Usher and Big Sean collaborated to spark the future of Detroit’s youth with a $1 Million innovation hub located inside the new Michigan Central Boys & Girls Club of Greater Detroit. Along with Usher’s New Look® (UNL) and Sean Anderson Foundation (SAF), additional key education and industry partners include Ilitch Sports + Entertainment and Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.
Per the official press release:
The Michigan Central Boys & Girls Club offers a suite of immersive, industry-aligned spaces designed to prepare
youth ages 14–24 for high-growth careers across the creative economy, technology, and mobility sectors. Core
offerings include innovation labs, creative technology studios, special FX labs, autonomous and drone training
spaces, a literary and storytelling lounge, and a youth-run retail marketplace that provides real-world experience in brand-building and entrepreneurship. Through hands-on learning, industry credentials, executive mentorship, and paid career pathways, young people move from early exposure to deeper immersion and launch-ready opportunities.
Officially open as of February 9, the space spans 15,000 square feet and features rooms supported by Apple, Bank of America and StockX. Both Big Sean and Usher are alumni of the Boys & Girls Club, making this milestone even more significant. After opening a Spark Lab at the Boys & Girls Club of Atlanta in 2024, expansion was natural.
“Most people might ask, ‘Why Detroit?’ Why not Detroit? Think about the history. … If there were no Motown, there would not be a LaFace Records or any of the entrepreneurs that came out of Atlanta,” Usher shared during an appearance on Good Morning America with Big Sean. “This is an opportunity to pay it back to the clubs that invested in me. This is a historical moment for us to be able to do this together,” the “My Way” singer added.
Photo Credit: Stephanie Rhoades-Hume
A true D-Boy, Big Sean has been giving back to the Boys & Girls Club since 2018. The Spark Lab at Michigan Central marks the SAF’s fifth significant investment. The Detroit/ATL connection started some years ago and represents a commitment to transforming lives. The “Bounce Back” emcee expressed appreciation for the partnership. “Usher put his money where his mouth is. He said he wanted to be involved with the kids, and step up, and he really did that; he followed through. “He’s changing the narrative about building it out, from a city like Detroit.”
Photo Credit: Stephanie Rhoades-Hume
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit (BGCGD) serves more than 17,000 youth annually and is a national leader in
advancing economic mobility for young people.
“This Club represents an evolution in how opportunity is delivered,” said Shawn H. Wilson, President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit and Co-Founder, Usher’s New Look. “BGCGD’s reimagined youth development model moves beyond preparation and into participation and ownership. When young people have proximity to innovation, relationships, and decision-makers, economic mobility stops being abstract and starts becoming achievable.”
