Village Talks Ep. 7 - Building What Our Kids Deserve

Village Talks Episode 7: Building What Our Kids Deserve

Featuring Clement Townsend, Founder of Video Pro Learning

Episode 7 of Village Talks hit different.

Not just because seven carries spiritual weight—but because this conversation with my brother Clement Townsend felt like the kind of “alignment moment” you can’t manufacture. The kind where you can hear, in real time, that somebody isn’t building from theory… they’re building from the classroom.

And that matters.

Why Village Talks Exists

Before we even got into Clement’s story, I reminded the audience what we firmly believe:

It takes a village to raise our children.
But beyond that—when the village comes together… nonprofits, mentoring orgs, schools, parents, and the business sector… the synergy created around a shared goal is powerful. There’s no limit to what can be accomplished when we align.

That’s what Village Talks is all about.

And Clement? He embodies that.

Meet Clement Townsend

Clement is the Founder of Video Pro Learning, a SaaS platform he describes as:

“Like Waze for math—detecting where students are off track and rerouting them back to grade-level mastery.”

The mission is clear: support schools and teachers serving students who are two to three years behind in math—a reality in Chicago and across the country.

But Clement didn’t start in edtech.

He was a sports broadcaster for 17 years, then shifted into doing digital media programming inside schools for the last seven years. That proximity gave him something a lot of innovators don’t have: real, lived exposure to what students are experiencing day to day.

And that’s where the problem became impossible to ignore.

Proximity Changes Everything

I told Clement straight up: it hits different when a product is birthed out of being in the building.

There are plenty of folks building tools because a spreadsheet says there’s a problem.

But Clement built because he saw it.

He saw students light up while creating video projects—motivated, engaged, producing real work—and then watched that same energy disappear the moment they stepped into traditional classroom instruction.

He started asking the right question:

How do we bring that same motivation into learning—especially math?

That question became Video Pro Learning.

When Kids Get Agency, Everything Shifts

One of the most powerful moments in the episode was Clement’s story about a young student who walked out of class—frustrated, disengaged, carrying whatever life was throwing at him.

The next week? Fresh start. New day. Belief restored.

Clement and his team gave that same student an opportunity to create: set goals, tell his story, express what he wants to be, build something meaningful through video.

And for an hour, he was locked in.

That’s not just engagement. That’s agency.

And as I told the audience: there’s research behind this. When young people have voice, ownership, and relevance in what they’re asked to do, they stay connected. Without that, we lose them.

“I Don’t Have the Tech Background… But I Have Faith.”

Clement kept it real.

He doesn’t have a business degree. He’s not a computer scientist. No Ivy League pipeline. No “friends and family” money.

But he does have:

• faith

• drive

• persistence

• passion for young people

• firsthand proof the work matters

And he’s willing to keep pushing—even through barriers that stop most people before they start.

Then he took it further: math proficiency impacts future earning potential.

So this isn’t just about students “passing.”
This is about life outcomes.

The Village and the Funding Gap

We went into something many people feel but don’t always say out loud:

Why does funding and resourcing seem to flow so easily to some ideas… and so slowly to others—especially when those tools are built for communities like ours?

Clement named it plainly: people with resources have to be willing to invest outside of “the mold.” If you don’t fit the standard pattern—cofounders, pedigree, certain networks—access gets harder.

He also said something important for the edtech world:

You can’t “MVP” your way into schools the same way you can in other industries.
Schools need stability. Trust. Safety. A baseline level of polish.

There’s a real funding divide between prototype and classroom-ready product.

But Clement’s response was faith-filled and practical:

“As we keep building, keep showing up, keep developing relationships, and refuse to take no for an answer… the funding will show up.”

The Magic Wand Answer: Awareness

Like every guest, Clement received the Village Talks “magic wand” question:
If you could change one thing that would be a game-changer for your work—what would it be?

His answer wasn’t flashy.

It was real.

Awareness.

Because a lot of great products don’t fail because they aren’t strong—they fail because not enough people know they exist.

Clement said it plainly:

If schools have never heard of Video Pro Learning… they can’t benefit from it.

His dream is to have the kind of marketing and visibility that makes schools say:
“Oh—we’ve seen this. We know this. We need this.”

And I’ll add: that’s where the village can step up. Some people may not be able to invest cash—but they can give time, strategy, introductions, and partnership that moves awareness forward.

Clement’s Parting Words

Clement ended by reminding us why village matters:

We can’t do this alone.

Even with the biggest vision, the biggest passion, the biggest product—we cannot support every young person who needs help without partnership and collaboration.

He’s open to working with:

• schools and teachers

• nonprofits doing academic enrichment

• mentoring orgs supporting students

• anyone who wants to build together

Connect With Clement & Video Pro Learning

📍 LinkedIn: Clement Townsend
📧 Email: [email protected] 

If you’re connected to schools, teachers, enrichment programs, or anyone looking for math support tools—reach out.

Final Word

Episode 7 reminded me why Village Talks exists:

Because stories like this are proof that the village is alive.
There are builders among us.
There are solutions among us.
There is faith, grit, and brilliance among us.

And if we keep coming together—sharing resources, opening doors, amplifying each other—there’s no limit to what we can accomplish for our kids.

This is Village Talks.
Your boy Damien Howard.
Peace out.