CHICAGO -- The voices raised in unison in the community room of the 12th District Chicago Police Department station on a recent Thursday evening belonged to less than a dozen youth singing gospel and R&B songs. It was a scene that may have looked better suited for a church or school stage, more familiar settings for a vocal ensemble.
But the pandemic kicked familiar to the curb for so many, including the Voices of Youth Ensemble (VOYE), a nonprofit whose mission is to “draw from the power of performance, song and common goals to help young people from under-resourced environments understand and embrace their highest possible selves.” VOYE was rehearsing in George W. Collins senior apartments across the street from the police building, at 1412 S. Blue Island Ave., for seven years until COVID forced the ensemble to relocate to a church. But after almost three months at a West Side church, which itself was in a temporary location, VOYE was left without a home.
That’s when a member of the CPD’s 12th District advisory committee brought VOYE’s dilemma to the attention of Paris Edwards, a community policing officer.
“She put me in contact with Miss (Debra) Kelly and we discussed her using the community room temporarily so that they can have somewhere to practice,” said Edwards, a veteran of the 12th District for 23 years. “It actually worked out great for us as well because the department, we’re trying to get our members to have a better relationship with the youth. This was a perfect opportunity for us to bring them into our home and develop that relationship with them.”
Since Jan. 22, youth ages 4-22 have been stretching their vocal chords and learning choreography three nights a week and putting smiles on officers’ faces, Edwards said.
Mom Breanna Ratcliff said every week that they come to the 12th District building to practice there are visitors — Kelly’s supporters or police who come to listen.
Following his March 17 shift, Edwards was dancing alongside ensemble members doing the electric slide, talking to Ratcliff’s 8-year-old son, De’Andre, about who would win a dance battle and letting a little boy don his police vest after practice. Edwards kept a smile.
“As long as I’m not asked to sing, I’m good,” Edwards said with a laugh. “I can talk. But singing? I can fake it a little bit.
“The events we participate in with youth, a lot of times it’s centered around sports, primarily basketball. For them to come with something totally on the other side of the spectrum, with music being what they were doing, it was just something different.”
Galewood resident Debra Kelly, 61, has been volunteering her time directing the kids in their musical pursuits since 2013. She founded the group when the original home of the singing group closed, the social services agency Marcy-Newberry Association. Kelly, who directed the ensemble at the agency, kept the group together as an outlet for students. More than 60 youth have passed through VOYE and those who do are in it for the long run. Her assistant director has been performing in the ensemble since he was 10.
Gladys Jones has put five of her grandchildren in VOYE. At 71, Jones attests she will always support Kelly’s efforts to offer something fun for the children to do. While the younger children were focused on dance moves like flossing during a song, older children went through the choreography steps behind the little ones typing on their phones.
“Ms. Kelly has been so good with these kids,” Jones said. “With kids, you have to expose them to the positive things out here. That was my thing of getting them off the street, letting them see something different.” Kelly said the group will be traveling to a play in Munster, Indiana, in April. Excursions like this are not unusual, Jones said.
Bridgette McKinzie lives in the South Shore neighborhood. Her 10-year-old goddaughter is a part of VOYE.
“I started supporting and following her because I saw something good,” McKinzie said. “The level of concern that she has ... every child has a place and I admire that. If she has a busload of kids and she needs someone to chaperone, I do that. It’s a good program, especially where there is nothing now for the kids to do.”
McKinzie mentioned that finding a permanent rehearsal space is Kelly’s goal. As the weather gets warmer, the community room gets booked more frequently with police training and other events and may not be as readily accessible. A GoFundMe was started in October 2021 to raise funds for a permanent space. Nearly $2,000 of a $15,000 goal has been raised so far. McKinzie said Kelly is focused on making sure VOYE doesn’t die.
“We’re trying to find a place that’s ours,” Kelly said. “We’re looking for funding, looking for grants and donations to help us get a building that we can stick the key in. We appreciate being able to come in here (12th District), but in April that’s going to end, then we’re going to be back to square one trying to find someplace to go where I can work with the kids.”
Kids like Laniyah Falkner, 14, an eighth grader at Pilsen Community Academy who sings solos in VOYE. The group came to her grandfather’s church and asked her to join after seeing her perform. Since she joined, she’s told her friends about it in hopes they too will join.
Looking back she said she probably wouldn’t have been exposed to the city as much, had she not joined VOYE’s ranks.
“I’m not one to get out or be outspoken,” Falkner said. “This really helped me get out of my shell and to really find out who I am as a singer and as a person. My mind never went to being a singer; I always thought I’d just be a little church girl singing for her grandfather, but once I found the ensemble it really did help me figure out what I wanted to be — a singer. It’s a goal.”
“I’ve been told that when they first came in, they were a little drawn back — obviously coming into a police station, you don’t know what to expect,” Edwards said “Since that date, now they come in and are like ‘Hey, we’re here!’ They feel a lot more comfortable, which is great not only in the building, but comfortable with the officers and interacting with them, which again, that’s great for us. Because of that interaction with them, we’ve been able to tell them about youth programs that we offer here in the 12th District. Developing their partnership, that relationship with them is beneficial for us too,”
