DETROIT – A new chapter began at Detroit‘s historic Michigan Central Station as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit unveiled a state-of-the-art facility on the building’s fifth floor, featuring a million-dollar entertainment production facility funded by music superstars Usher and Big Sean.
The 15,000-square-foot space transforms part of the iconic train station into a creative hub for young people ages 14 to 24, offering innovative amenities, including creative technology studios, special-effects labs, and a literary and storytelling lounge.
“Can you imagine what happens when you take a young startup entrepreneur, a young artist, a fashion designer, at the age of 14 years old, and you put them right next to another startup fashion designer who happens to be an adult?” said Roderick Hardamon, Board Chair of Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit. “We just gave them a five to 10-year head start. We created real-time, instant economic mobility.”
The centerpiece of the new club is its $1 million entertainment production facility, made possible by contributions from Grammy-winning artists Usher and Big Sean, both former Boys & Girls Club members.
The facility includes a comprehensive video production space, a hair and makeup training center, and a special effects design studio.
“When I think about the Boys and Girls Club in Chattanooga, Tennessee, that I came out of, it didn’t look anything like this, but what it did give me was an opportunity to dream, and it gave me mentorship,” Usher said at the grand opening.
Detroit native Big Sean emphasized the importance of self-investment and community connection.
“The best investment you can make is the investment in yourself, and I see myself in every single one of you, not just kids. I mean, everybody from the city of Detroit. That’s why I do what I do,” Sean said.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit have been transformational for young people like 21-year-old Shawn Woodward, an artist and fashion designer who sold two pieces during the grand opening celebration.
“As a young person, the most important thing you can do is just absorb people that are older than you and also being in a space with similar people and entrepreneurs just definitely gave me that green light,” Woodward said.
Programming at the new Boys & Girls Club will begin Feb. 9.