Everyone deserves a second chance, but how that second chance should be given differs in everyone’s mind. Lemuel LaRoche believes that he has found the key to redemption, and it lies within the age old game of chess.
Lemuel LaRoche is the founder and executive director of Chess and Community Conference, Inc., a nonprofit youth empowerment organization dedicated to developing strategic leadership skills in young people. Known in the communities that he serves as Life, he fuses chess with conventional therapeutic methods to curb impulsive behavior amongst youth with delinquent pasts. Lemuel holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Georgia and has over fifteen years experience in adolescent and community development. He is the subject of Life the Griot (2014), a documentary highlighting his work in Georgia. Lemuel was listed as one of Athens’ exceptional community leaders in 2013 and his organization has been featured in Georgia Magazine. He is internationally renowned for his poetry, which he uses as a tool for empowerment and reconditioning. He is the author of two books, Tree of Life: The Human Ascension and Hidden Ripples: Life’s Unspoken Language.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx