Sometimes the road you start on isn't the road you have to stay on.

Our Story

D.E.T.T.O.U.R. was created from a simple reality: young people are often expected to navigate difficult circumstances without being given the tools, relationships, experiences, or opportunities to know another path exists.

Too often, we focus on what youth need to stop doing instead of helping them discover what they are capable of doing. We respond to behavior without always understanding what may be behind it, and expect better choices without ensuring young people have been exposed to different choices and opportunities.

D.E.T.T.O.U.R. exists to help change that.

Developing Excellence Through Teaching Our Youth Resilience helps young people discover their strengths, build confidence, develop practical life and leadership skills, experience new opportunities, and connect with caring adults and community.

We don't see young people as problems to fix. We see strengths to discover, voices to develop, and possibilities to explore.

And because youth don't grow in isolation, we engage caregivers and families along the way—building stronger relationships and support systems around the young people we serve.

Sometimes life changes the route. We help young people learn how to navigate what comes next.

Youth participating in a D.E.T.T.O.U.R. program

Our guiding philosophy

“Be to them who they are missing.”

Sometimes that's a mentor. Sometimes it's an advocate, a teacher, a listening ear, an opportunity, a connection, or simply someone who sees something in a young person that they haven't learned to see in themselves yet.

We don't believe young people need to be "fixed." We believe they need opportunities to discover what's already inside of them. That's the heart of D.E.T.T.O.U.R.

Our mission is to replace trauma with empowerment to reach excellence. And whether the detour comes from trauma, loss, a mistake, a difficult season, or simply life taking an unexpected turn, we want every young person and family we serve to know: The road may change. The destination doesn't have to.

It's never too late to D.E.T.T.O.U.R.

Our Mission

Our mission is to replace trauma with empowerment to reach excellence, because no matter your path, it's never too late to D.E.T.T.O.U.R.

Our vision

A community where every young person has a path forward.

We envision a Saint Paul where youth and families have the tools, relationships, and opportunities to replace trauma with empowerment — and reach excellence on their own terms.

Our values

What We Stand For

Resilience

We believe every young person has the capacity to navigate adversity, grow through challenges, and build a future defined by their strengths—not their circumstances.

Empowerment

We create environments where youth and families discover their own power, voice, and potential—and develop the confidence to use them.

Community

We know that young people don't grow in isolation. We build relationships, partnerships, and networks of support that surround youth and families with care.

Excellence

We hold high expectations—not as pressure, but as belief. We see what young people are capable of, and we walk alongside them as they discover it too.

The people behind the mission

Leadership & Board of Directors

Our leaders bring lived experience, professional expertise, and a shared commitment to helping young people and families thrive.

Taneisha N. Smith, Ed.S.

Founder & Executive Director

Taneisha N. Smith, Ed.S., is the Founder and Executive Director of D.E.T.T.O.U.R. A lifelong St. Paul community member, educator, licensed K–12 school administrator, and U.S. military veteran, Taneisha brings more than a decade of experience serving youth, families, and school communities. Her professional journey has included leadership as a teacher, dean, assistant principal, and principal.

Taneisha's commitment to youth is also deeply personal. Her own experiences navigating adversity as a young person shaped her belief that circumstances and trauma should never define a young person's potential. Guided by her personal philosophy, "Be to them who they are missing," she founded D.E.T.T.O.U.R. to create the relationships, opportunities, resources, and experiences she believes every young person deserves.

Through D.E.T.T.O.U.R., Taneisha leads with a relationship-centered approach focused on helping youth discover their strengths, develop resilience, build confidence, and recognize their ability to positively impact their families and communities. Her leadership is grounded in D.E.T.T.O.U.R.'s mission: to replace trauma with empowerment to reach excellence.

Charles Coleman

Board Vice President & Director of Community Engagement

Charles Coleman is a longtime St. Paul youth and community advocate with deep roots in the Rondo community and years of experience working within St. Paul schools and in community-based violence prevention. His work centers on interrupting cycles of violence by helping young people develop the emotional regulation, conflict-resolution, and resilience skills needed to navigate life's challenges.

Charles is equally committed to empowering caregivers, recognizing that strong families are essential to creating lasting change for youth. Charles stands with D.E.T.T.O.U.R. because he believes resilience is a superpower—and when youth and caregivers are equipped with the tools to manage emotions, navigate conflict, and move through adversity with purpose, entire families and communities become stronger.

Emmanuel “Bayo” Ifonlaja

Director of Youth Development & Education

Emmanuel “Bayo” Ifonlaja is a Saint Paul Public Schools educator with a passion for empowering young people to recognize their potential and take ownership of their futures. As a Black male educator, Bayo understands the importance of youth having positive representation, meaningful relationships, and trusted adults who see their strengths.

He brings an educator's perspective to D.E.T.T.O.U.R., with a focus on youth development, academic growth, confidence, and resilience. Bayo rocks with D.E.T.T.O.U.R. because he believes resilience is the ultimate cheat code. His goal is to help young people build the tools and mindset to bounce back from life's challenges, level up, stand on business, and ultimately write their own success stories.

Danisa Farley

Director of Community Partnerships & Special Initiatives

Danisa Farley leads D.E.T.T.O.U.R.'s community partnerships and special initiatives, helping strengthen the relationships and opportunities that support youth and families.