SMILE Troupe
350
We started with just 3 members. By October 2026, we had grown to 50.
When I was in fourth grade, during the COVID lockdown, I spent almost every afternoon outside with my sister Lydia and our neighbors, Ethan and Ryan. We rode bikes, made up games, and talked until the streetlights came on. Even during a stormy time, those became some of my favorite memories, just because we got to be together. I think we got through it so well because we had each other.
In eighth grade, I noticed that many classmates stayed up until two or three in the morning scrolling on their phones. Some of my friends also told me they felt stressed, lonely, or not good enough. I started wondering: if teens had a group of friends who met face to face and had each other’s backs, would we struggle less?
That question inspired us to start SMILE Troupe, a teen-led nonprofit where we make friends, find what we’re good at, and grow stronger together through clubs like debate, running, rockets, and D&D. Along the way, we get better at managing our time, talking to people, working as a team, solving problems, and staying active.
We’ve already seen what a welcoming community can do. One member who barely spoke now volunteers to give impromptu speeches in debate.
Another had been bullied at school and kept it all inside. His parents didn’t even know until he joined our debate club. Little by little, he opened up. Today, he’s thriving.
Some storms, like COVID, nobody can predict or stop. I once heard about a book called Antifragile. It’s about getting stronger from hard times, not just surviving them, kind of like a muscle after a tough workout. It’s like having a strong adversity quotient, or the growth mindset we learned about in school. It’s all about how you look at tough stuff: do you see a challenge as something that helps you grow, or something that holds you back? With the right mindset, you don’t just bounce back, you bounce back stronger. And honestly, that’s what happened to us. That COVID storm gave us some of our best memories and, eventually, SMILE Troupe.
So I keep asking myself: when the next storm comes, will it break us, or make us stronger? I think that depends on how strong we’ve grown, and who’s standing next to us.
“We can’t stop every storm, but together, we can bounce back even stronger after it.”
Strong Mind. Strong Body. Together We Grow.
Eggshell Youth Club
