Listen to our voices, voices of liberation!

Thank you to all of our supporters for attending yesterday's Wake Up With VOYCE Breakfast. Our annual fundraiser is always a hit but yesterday our 2015 SLI Cohort raised the bar with incredible poems, speeches, and tableau (french for a group of motionless figures representing a story or scene from history aka frozen poses). We decided that it would not be fair to deprive our supporters who couldn't make it from experiencing the power of voice so we are sharing the transcript of speeches and poems here! Yup, we know you love us...but don't plagiarize okaay!

Executive Director Remarks:

I’d like to start off by thanking ALL OF YOU for coming out this early to support our youth! I want to recognize MY INCREDIBLE TEAM for their deep dedication to PV, our vision, and our students, please stand up and let’s give them a hand. I want to congratulate our 2015 cohort of SLI leaders who have just completed a summer that many believe have jump started them on personal and collective missions that will shape all of our futures. There is no place like PV. Every single day I get to show up as my most authentic self and empower my team to do the same. This is different than most workplaces and it is that way intentionally. WHO WE ARE MATTERS! Our stories are our strength in this PV family. Special thank you to the new leader of this fine facility, Mr. Nick Dawkins. As a Thunderbolt myself, first-generation high school graduate, Daniels Fund Scholar, youngest person in my program to complete my MSW, and co-founder of PV.…. the symbolism of being in this space today runs deep for me and my transition into the Executive Director of this amazing organization…. My own life has come full circle in so many ways and my purpose today is clearer than ever. 9 years ago---many days, nights, experiences, and people in this very space sparked the dream that lives in PV. We often say we were born out of the shutdown of Manual...really, we were born out of the vibrant life and lives that Manual represented and to this day represents. VOYCE was born to insert those vibrant lives and experiences into education policy. We knew that youth in this community like in so many others had responsibilities equal or greater than most adults. I speak from personal experience when I tell you that youth are forced unjustly into adult roles without the authority that comes with recognition as an adult. We know that many youth work to help support families; We know many youth become the stand-in parents of themselves and siblings when parents are working or absent; We know that many young people are exposed regularly to drugs, violence, poverty---All requiring them to kick into high gear to survive and navigate such realities. THEN we ask them to come to learn and prepare for their future as we completely disregard what it takes to survive daily. A future can seem irrelevant when a young person cannot see past their current circumstances. We disregard these experiences of youth every single day and we further take away control over their respective futures when we make big decisions about what they need without ever once asking them their ideas. The jobs we are preparing youth for today, don't even exist yet. We are not growing the inventors of jobs or the creators of the future when we silence the brilliance of young adults at every chance we get. This is especially true for our youth of color and youth living in poverty. In a state like Colorado, where you have 19,000 nonprofits, one of the fastest growing economies, new people coming in everyday...and still…we are approaching a record for violence in this city this year, we have the third fastest growing child poverty rate, 1/3 of our children in 3rd grade are NOT reading at grade level. We know what 3rd grade reading scores are used to determine...just ask a student at your table. We have to do better...but HOW?? At PV we believe that the solution lies in ensuring that policy is crafted with impacted persons as co-creators. Youth voice is the first step for giving the guardians of our futures the empowerment they need to feel inspired to step up and co-create OUR future. When we wait until college to talk about policy with young people, we miss critical opportunities for true liberation. We miss an entire segment of impacted youth who might get pushed out or dropout. Those youth will NEVER get the language or tools or access to change systems. Systems change CANNOT remain a privileged dialogue.. We cannot wait until later to give young people the language and tools to TRULY change the world. We must educate and liberate them now before the failing policies and systems succeed at silencing them forever. Today more than ever the need for the work we do at PV is profound. The irony is not lost on us that 9 years later we are partnered with Aurora Central, a school experiencing a fate similar to Manual's when we were founded. In this gentrified neighborhood, most of the students who were here 9 years ago have likely been pushed to more affordable areas like Aurora. One must ask, are we shifting policy or are we shifting people? We look up and see the skylines are changing but the streets are still filled with the same silenced people. We have the opportunity to intervene now. We can level the playing field if we teach the youth the role of policy on their lives and create pathways to influencing those policies. They are not TOO young to understand structures...don’t tell them this and allow them to live in the circumstances they often are forced into. I can guarantee you they are more creative and better equipped to re-imagine the possibilities for our society if we guide them and trust them to do more than just survive. So without further ado, allow me to introduce you to the first of our three incredible trainees who will be sharing their hopes and voices with you today.

Student Speeches:

Paris Jones: Hello everyone my name is Parris Jones I am 15 and am currently a sophomore at Aurora Central High School. Umm a little bit about me, I'm very energetic, funny, and caring, my friends and family call me a peacemaker, and I guarantee you this will probably make me one of the weirdest people you know, but apples are my weakness, you could hit me in the face for no reason and give me an apple afterward and all would be forgiven. Now before I get into my speech I would like to give a very special shoutout to PV11 and the staff cause without them I wouldn't be the person I am today, I wouldn't even have the courage to get up here. They took a quiet, shy, mama's boy and turned him into the loud, energetic, outgoing person you see today. I may get up at 6AM every morning and leave home but I know I'm coming straight to my second home at PV, so thank you for making me feel welcomed and at home when I walk through those doors. So with all that aside now, we get to the million dollar question of the day. What has Project VOYCE taught me? I could stand up here and say PV has taught me people skills, business handshakes, etc... But one thing Project VOYCE has taught me that nowhere else can teach you is that I have a voice and I can use my voice to change my school, community, and one day the world. Another million dollar question that can be asked today is Why is Project VOYCE different than other places? But Before I answer that question I want to read a quote. Will smith once said "Greatness is not this wonderful, esoteric, elusive, god like feature that only the special among us will ever taste, it's something that truly exist in all of us." And for me that's why I think PV is different because not one of us trainees are the same. PV saw the greatness in all of us weather we're honor student, class clowns, trouble makers, or rebels. PV accepted us the way we were and exposed the greatness in all of us, they stuck with us through thick and thin, the good and the bad, and in the end made all of us trainee's in this room the leaders we are today. So in closing i would like to thank PV for giving a quiet, shy, mama's boy a chance to showcase his greatness because without them I wouldn't be the leader I am today, I wouldn't have a spot as the speaker for the youth city council of denver and aurora, and most of all i wouldn't be here speaking in front of you guys today. And if you don't take away anything from what i've said today take away this my name is Parris Jones and i guarantee 5 years from now this face is going to be everywhere so remember me now and remember it all started at Project VOYCE.

Carmen Cabrera: Good morning my name is Carmen I am a senior at Aurora Central high school and I am a trainee at Project VOYCE. My experience at Project VOYCE has transformed me in a way I had not expected. Before I begin talking about my personal experience,I want to share some context. My mom was born in Mexico, she was married and had four kids, unfortunately she had to suffer through the pain of losing her husband, who was shot and killed by a police officer. She was left on her own with her three daughters, one of which is paraplegic, and her son. She made the choice to come to the United States to make a better life for her and her kids. So she left her children while she came to work and get established. Later on after she was reunited with her children and more established, she married my dad and had me. I was able to grow up and watch her teach herself how to draw, paint, and later on get her GED. She also taught other spanish speakers so that they could get their GED as well. It’s more recently that she got her CNA to take care of my sister as her profession. Now that you know a little bit about my family background I’m going to tell you about who I was before PV and what being in PV has done for me. I could be the student you classify as a “can but won’t” student. I want to say I’m well educated however I’d always go late to my morning class and I’d always ditch my afternoon classes. This wasn’t some form of rebellion it’s simply just that I couldn’t understand the point of what I was doing, I was basically having an existential crisis. It’s because of my other sister that I found out about PV and joined. While I have learned many things in PV on how to be a leader and strategies I can use in the future to leverage my leadership potential, nothing has impacted me more than my peers in PV. Seeing students with problems vastly different from mine and also similar to mine makes me realize that nothing is holding me back from improving myself, my future, and in turn help improve other people's futures. One person in particular in my PV cohort taught me a valuable lesson about humility and my own potential. She is a teen mother who has not given up on her dreams. Before meeting her, I had known other teen mothers who did not continue to pursue their dreams. I formed this idea in my head that teen parents had no opportunities to improve. What my friend has taught me was that I was wrong. She does so much, with so little time and resources and always does it with a smile. She taught me that leadership exists in all of us and when you want something you can achieve it no matter what obstacles are in your way. She is a graceful inspiring leader who has shown me what kind of person I can become...and the beauty of it is that we are the same age...and maybe someone else was impacted by me in the same way. My goal has always been to go to college but now I’m more motivated than before to go to college with better work ethic and much better grades. PV has transformed me into someone who is more appreciative of the privileges I have and has prepared me to share my privilege to be an advocate for others who do not share the same opportunities. I am looking forward to my own liberation and transformation as well as that of my community and the world alongside my new PV family!

J'rae Jordan: I would like to take the time to thank everyone for joining us and supporting us today. I would also like to thank Project VOYCE for allowing me the opportunity to address you all today. I am J’rae Jordan, a junior at Denver Justice High School, and Trainee at Project VOYCE. Today I am going to tell you a story about transformation. The question, “ Who are you ?” is a difficult question to answer, since I barely know myself. But, I will try my best to explain what I am sure of... In order for you to understand the person I am now, you need to know the person I was before. . . I Went to 4 different schools in 2 years, before finding Justice High School. Many things led up to this, and today I am going to share a few: My Father has been absent most of my life, I would see him around here and there and when I did it’s like he never seemed to notice me. I am 1 of 12 children. I only see 4 of my siblings. I use to argue a lot with my mom and had to move out at the age of 12.I have been raised around gangs all my life. When I moved out, I myself was gang banging and selling drugs. Because I didn't have much to provide for myself, drug dealing became my only option. It was wrong, but inow know how to take care of myself.Last summer my older brother was shot in his stomach. This summer, he was stabbed 2 times and came close to dying because of his gang affiliation. I knew then I didn’t want to follow that path. It was harder to stay away from gang affiliation, selling drugs , and violence when i was on my own. I was always getting in fights with other girls. I got multiple citations and was put on probation. For 6 months, I wasn't attending school, and when i did, I was 2 grade levels behind in my education. Last year, I realized that I needed to better myself and my life. I moved back with my mom and found Denver Justice High School, where I had the good fortune of getting introduced to Project VOYCE.Nobody has impacted my life as much as my counselor, trainer, and mentor: Shelby Gonzales-Parker-- a Training Director at Project VOYCE. Her kindness and understanding came at a time when I needed it most. I may not even be here if not for her support. There were times that I’ve been sad and have felt alone, but Shelby has always been there. She has shown me what it’s taken for her to overcome her life challenges and become the strong and successful leader she has grown to be today. It is not easy for me to open up to people, but with Shelby she gained my trust very quickly through her consistent presence and support. She has taught me communication & people skills, how to act & react in tough situations, and how to handle my anger appropriately. The times I felt the world was on my shoulders, when I felt the worst, she empowered me and encouraged and still encourages me to be the change I wish to see in the world. When I had bad days at school, or when something was hard for me or I didn't understand something, she made things clear so that I could be more successful as a leader . Shelby and PV have provided the support and skills I needed to transform my life in the most positive way possible. Although I have had many challenges in my life I am learning how to deal with them from people who have been through the same things and made it through successfully. We trust each other at PV and we respect each other’s experiences as much as the average person respects a person with a fancy title or degree. We are experts at PV, we are valuable. I am committed to make the change in someone else’s life the way Shelby and PV have done for me, through listening and understanding, personal accountability, high expectations, and compassion.I will get an education and help others who are struggling, just like i was. I will give young people like me the language and tools to understand and change the systems that touch and shape their lives every day. I want to help others to find their own voices. My journey as a transformational leader that has just taken a positive turn and I’m giving you a heads up now, we WILL transform the world! Thank you for investing in all of us and thank you for believing in our power, expertise, and voice.

Poem by Uchenna Ohaya, Site Coordinator:

WHEN SILENCE SPEAKS

[cringe as if the silence is too loud]

INAUDIBLE: The chaos within all the ebbs & flows of nothingness bring about more results than what the normal chatter may confuse you with.

“Is this thing on?”

(hits mic, clears throat)

It might have bothered you that my mouth was moving and words were coming out

Only, the frustration being that you would rather hear me shout

Calculating pledges given while spaces fill with noise

Inconsistent pauses ignoring the power of one’s voice

And so with a mouth comes the sound; a no-brainer

When it looks like me and you they actually expect an entertainer

Tokenism be the institution to reinforce this [here] thought

Equity means liberation and education not sold or bought

Realizing it’s the lives of those 1-in-3s or 92% free N reduced lunch

Statistics the system claims helps to better understand when they really do NOT have a hunch

Reality: 1 in 3 Black males will experience the justice system at some point in their lives

Schools with FRL rates above 80% are more likely to live in households struggling to survive

Some of these homes have mindsets labeled victim while the rest of the world sees suspect

More #BlackLivesMatter signs printed than the $2 bill and still we can’t speak justice

Would it bother you more if I returned to mute? Letting the words spill out with no sound?

Or is mediocrity and complacency the team that you’re playin for in the next round?

Easier said than is done but the rebels were most remembered through action

Until I have accountability for greatness, there will be no satisfaction

Grit is the driving force of the change we wish to see in our midst

I want my work now to be an ongoing breakthrough that will impact the generations after my kids

Voice can be noise serving the background’s own purpose – simply just to be there

Give it some power and knowledge for protection – begin to eliminate fear

Silence isn’t always negative; just consider the unspoken messages

Speaking one’s truth is the beginning of making advocacy appear so effortless

Fighting for freedom and equity for all is the movement to which you have a choice

Sooo do you wish to just join the noise or [will you] use the power of voice?