Lemuel LaRoche executive director of Chess and Community. Sits down and discusses what his program is doing in the community. If you'd like to see more go to highlightathensga.com and get started indulging in the voices of Athens, Ga.

Athens community organizer, activist, teacher and poet Lemuel LaRoche, AKA Life The Griot, onstage in Athens-Clarke County Library’s Appleton Auditorium; Life is a social worker, poet, chess enthusiast, and activist on a mission. His inspirational words entertain and touch thousands with a simple truth: if we want to see better, then we have to do better. Mr 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 the Griot, he fuses chess with conventional therapeutic methods to curb impulsive behavior amongst youth with delinquent pasts. Life has over fifteen years experience in adolescent and community development and brings a fresh innovative approach to counseling.

Pawn Accelerator (PA) is a community-centered Robotics and Chess program that trains and educates youth on the foundations of developing technology. PA nurtures the skills students need for careers in engineering and robotics. This program cultivates the students’ critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. PA aids in the advancement of the community by exposing its local students to cutting-edge technology that will impact their lives, careers, and personal development. Learn more about Pawn Accelerator programs and competitions at www.chessandcommunity.org.

2021 was an eventful year for Chess and Community, here's a look back at a few of the things we got up to. Thank you to everyone that donated, supported, liked, shared or showed up for us. We appreciate you! Here's to a great 2022!

For the Youth is Life's original work. The poem depicts the onslaught of programming affecting today's youth. The written poem can be found in Tree of Life: The Human Ascension. https://www.amazon.com/Tree-Life-Human-Ascension-1/dp/0988467216

http://www.lifethegriot.com. Conversations with Life is a weekly live syndicated radio show (92.7 FM & 1470 AM) in Athens, Georgia. The show highlights innovation, inspiration and impactful information designed to uplift and encourage family systems and community development. If you are interested in the advanced knowledge and spiritual information spoke of in this film check out the Secret Energy site and Store at http://bit.ly/1SCwBIG

http://www.chessandcommunity.com. 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. For more information, and http://www.lemuellaroche.com

I swam from my mother's womb into a sea of numbers. A poetic journey through a numerical grid where we are born flesh, but processed into androids.