Usher's New Look Partners With BET, Detroit Clubs

The 2026 collaboration brings BET and Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit into the organization's youth leadership and career-training programs.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in R&B

Usher's New Look Partners With BET, Detroit Clubs

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Usher's New Look announced a partnership with BET and Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit in August 2026. Four Entertainment Industry Club interns joined BET Next Gen during BET Awards Week.

Why it matters

The organization uses culture, creativity and storytelling as entry points to career pathways for young people. The partnership expands that model into media and touring industries and extends it to Detroit.

The organization has served more than 50,000 young people worldwide, with programs split into Spark Club for ages 14 to 17 and the Entertainment Industry Club for ages 18 to 24. Detailed Detroit enrollment figures have not been released.

The players

Usher Raymond IV

Usher is a Grammy-winning R&B singer and co-founder of Usher's New Look, the youth development organization behind the program.

BET

BET is the Black Entertainment Television network, a Paramount-owned cable and streaming media company focused on Black audiences.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit is a local youth-serving nonprofit affiliated with the national Boys & Girls Clubs of America network.

Shawn H. Wilson

Shawn H. Wilson is president and chief executive of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit and a co-founder of Usher's New Look.

Louis Carr

Louis Carr is president of BET, overseeing the network's programming and content operations.

The details

Participants progress from Spark Club to the Entertainment Industry Club and then to the Tour Internship Program, with training held in Spark Lab Studios followed by cohort-based learning. Every cohort ends with a capstone project, and two of the BET interns were on The R&B Tour featuring Usher and Chris Brown when the partnership was announced.

1999: Usher's New Look is founded by Usher Raymond IV and two co-founders.
August 2026: The collaboration with BET and Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit is announced.
2026 BET Awards Week: Four interns join the BET Next Gen cohort.

Season Trajectory

Usher's New Look was founded in 1999 and has since reached more than 50,000 young people through its youth development programs. The BET and Boys & Girls Clubs partnership extends that model into media and touring careers and into Detroit.

Participants in the Entertainment Industry Club gain hands-on training and touring internship placements that connect them to industry roles. Detroit youth in the partnership can access training through the local Boys & Girls Clubs.

The takeaway

Youth programs that use music and entertainment as an entry point can build practical career pathways for participants. Readers interested in similar opportunities can look for local Boys & Girls Clubs programs that offer media and arts training.