Chess • Conversations • Careers (C3)

Team members: Brenton Brown, Linda Distlerath, Robert LeHeup, Mary Lucas, Bryanta Maxwell, Rose Newton, Brittany Owen, T.J. Wallace, Buck Wilson

Project: Chess • Conversations • Careers (C3)

The goal of Chess • Conversations • Careers (C3) is to utilize chess to connect youth mentees with business/organization leaders (mentors) to facilitate conversations about careers. In initial partnership with Young Men United of the United Way of the Midlands and ThinkMove Chess Academy, the hope is that these conversations – and the universal language of chess – will create connections, instill confidence, and be a source of empowerment.

C3 was developed by community and business leaders in the Midlands of South Carolina during the Spring 2024 cohort of the Diversity Leadership Initiative (DLI). Fostered by a collective desire to assist today’s youth, C3 builds productive mentor-mentee relationships between business professionals and high-school-aged youth, using the game of chess as a medium to facilitate conversations about careers and build rapport. The project teaches life skills that helps youth participants to understand the importance of making informed, deliberate decisions, become mindful of the perspectives of self and others, learn about potential career paths, connect with business and organization leaders, and learn the game of chess.

Why chess? Chess is one of the world’s oldest and most popular games and endows its players with critical thinking and other life skills. Application of its rules is relevant to success in other areas of life, such as critical thinking, decision-making, academics, and career development. These skills include:
• the importance of making thoughtful, deliberate decisions
• understanding and handling the consequences of decisions
• the importance of positive interactions with others
• the role that planning and preparation have in success

C3 members connected with the United Way of the Midlands’ Young Men United (YMU) program, which launched in 2023 and strives to address inequity gaps in education attainment, income and wealth. The focal points of YMU directly align with C3’s desire to support socioeconomic deficiencies among youth from socially disadvantaged families, who may be disconnected from and unaware of the larger career market.

Project Mission: To connect high-school-aged youth to business and organization professionals using chess as a medium to facilitate conversation and connection.

Project Objectives:
• Teach chess as a means of facilitating conversation and relationships amongst mentees and mentors.
• Connect high school-aged youth to business and organization professionals.
• Facilitate engagement between mentees and mentors, so mentees become aware of the vast career opportunities that are available.