Converse strengthens commitment to youth mentorship and empowerment
Public invitation to All Stars initiative
Converse is expanding its All Stars youth mentorship programme by opening it to the public for the first time, with the aim to incorporate a more grassroots approach to supporting youth action. At its core, the All Stars programme hinges on a community-focused ecosystem of mentorship, commission and funding, with Converse's global network facilitating capacity building that helps young creatives gain professional experience and opportunity.
For over two years, the brand has been engaging and building with a grassroots global community of more than 3,000 individuals from more than 27 cities, spanning LA to Lima, the Converse All Stars. These emerging leaders champion change in sport and culture. Connection with Converse aims to hone their creative talents and amplify their voices – supported by opportunities to co-create creative work and shape the future of Converse on its social and digital platforms.
Converse will now be opening this community to the public, inviting up to 250 creative individuals to join Converse All Stars. New members will have the opportunity to engage with the All Star Series, an ongoing experience of one-of-a-kind workshops, conversations and performances facilitated by Converse’s extended creative family. Past All Star Series sessions have included the likes of Tobe Nwigwe, Jefferson Hack, Virgil Abloh and Samuel Ross.
$1m accelerator programme
Converse’s commitment to the community is punctuated with a $1m accelerator programme dubbed Converse All Star Captains, which aims to fast-track the progress of a dozen individual All Stars who strive to define a new possible through creative action in sustainability, inclusivity and diversity, and youth development.
Converse All Star Captains was concepted for and by the Converse All Stars community over the course of nine months, with a core group of thirteen individuals from nine countries steering its final format. The committee includes Harvard College Student Body president and vice president, James Mathew and Ifeoma “Ify” White-Thorpe, who unexpectedly went viral in November 2019 for their inclusive undergraduate council campaign.
My sister and her friend are running for pres and vp of Harvard’s student government and they never had to go this hard pic.twitter.com/4xsHtEbWkv
— Uche White-Thorpe (@chukwu_21) November 12, 2019
This Captain’s class will also be directly and actively involved in providing feedback for and insights into Converse brand work, selecting future All Stars and influencing experiences and programming for the community. Converse will share the collective progress made throughout the journey.
A new film from Converse articulates the ambition of the community of Converse All Stars and teams four of its community members with leading creatives as mentors. Written and narrated by Ify White-Thorpe under the mentorship of Issa Rae; original music by James and Phillip Mathew under the mentorship of Tyler, the Creator, and directed by Leo Aguirre.
