Our Story

During the COVID lockdown, Ethan, Ryan, my sister, Lydia and I played outside together every day. Back then, life felt simple. We laughed a lot, ran around, and actually talked to each other. Those days felt real and they’re memories we still hold onto.

When things slowly went back to “normal” after COVID, something changed. Everyone got busier. Schedules filled up.  We become teens.  And more and more kids ended up stuck in the digital world. Hanging out in person became rare, even with people we used to see all the time.

My sister and I really missed that kind of connection. We missed how easy it felt to just be together.  So we started asking ourselves a pretty big question: How do we help old friends reconnect and help new friendships happen in real life?

That’s when we decided to start small and personal. We reached out to Melanie Bai, our 3rd- and 4th-grade friend from COVID times. I still remember going to school together wearing masks. Reconnecting with her reminded us how meaningful those friendships still were, even after time apart.  Slowly, we began reconnecting with other old friends as well. 

We also started reaching out to old friends who lived on the same street, Ryan and Ethan. Little by little, we began rebuilding the kind of real-life connections we had missed so much.

Around the same time, I started noticing how much screens were taking over. Phones, social media, video games everywhere. Sometimes phones got taken away, but that didn’t really fix anything. It just showed how hard it was to step away.

One moment from my 8th-grade Communication Class really stuck with me. Our teacher asked when we went to bed because everyone looked exhausted. A lot of kids said, “11 p.m.” But later, they admitted they didn’t actually sleep until 2 or 3 a.m. because they were on their phones or computers. I remember sitting there thinking,  How are we supposed to focus, learn, or even feel okay when we’re always tired and always online?

I also started hearing quiet, sad stories from friends and people around me about feeling lonely, stressed, or overwhelmed in this uncharted digital world. That’s when it really hit me: this isn’t just about screen time. It’s about how our generation is growing up, and how disconnected we can feel even when we’re constantly “connected.”

My sister and I knew we couldn’t just ignore it. We felt like we had to do something together.

That’s how SMILE Troupe started.

Our mission is simple: to help preteens and teens build real friendships, confidence, and leadership through in-person experiences with peer-led clubs beyond screens. We’re youth-led because we’re living this too and we believe young people can support each other in powerful ways.

Our vision is a future where teens feel seen, supported, and truly connected where real-life friendships matter, confidence comes from shared experiences, and screens don’t replace real human connection.