Village Talks Ep. 14: Robin Koelsch of CIS with The Village Is a Verb

Episode 14: The Village Is a Verb (with Robin Koelsch, CIS Chicago)

What is up, Village?

You already know what it is — it’s your friend Damien Howard with another episode of Village Talks. And I’m not even going to pretend I’m “calm” about this one.

Because sometimes the podcast isn’t about meeting a new person. Sometimes it’s about getting to go deeper with somebody who’s already been in your life — somebody you respect, somebody you’ve built with, somebody who understands your heartbeat for young people and the city you love.

That’s exactly what Episode 14 is.

This is me sitting down with one of my favorite people: Robin Koelsch from Communities In Schools of Chicago (CIS Chicago) — a friend, a collaborator, and one of those rare humans who can be both a performer and a spreadsheet warrior at the same time.

And if that sounds like a funny combination, it’s because it is.

But it’s also exactly what Chicago needs.

Meet Robin: Performer Energy, Data-Nerd Excellence

Robin came into the conversation with the kind of energy that makes you sit up in your chair.

She shared that she’s one of five sisters, which means she learned early: if you’ve got something to say, you better say it loud, fast, and with confidence. That’s where her communication style comes from — vibrant, direct, full of life.

And then she added the other side of who she is:

Robin comes from a music background. She loves the stage. She loves performance. She believes there’s a performer in all of us — it’s just about finding the stage you’re comfortable standing on.

But don’t get it twisted.

Robin also loves data. She loves a spreadsheet. And not just any spreadsheet — we’re talking color-coded, organized, “don’t touch my tabs” level spreadsheets.

That’s Robin: heart + hype + structure.

The Real Talk: “Bringing Your Whole Self” Isn’t Always Simple

Early in the episode, we got into something that a lot of us feel but don’t always name out loud:

Do we really get to bring our whole selves everywhere?

Robin said something honest — and honestly freeing:

Sometimes your whole self is a lot. And everybody doesn’t get access to that. Sometimes people don’t want to receive it. Sometimes you don’t want to give it. And that’s okay.

But the goal isn’t disappearing.

The goal is learning how to turn it up and turn it down without losing who you are.

That hit me because I shared something I’ve had to learn in my own life too:

I don’t even call it code-switching anymore.

I call it different manifestations of who I authentically am.

Different environments might pull different expressions out of me — how I speak, how I dress, how I show up — but it’s still me.

Robin’s take on that was powerful: all those parts make a whole. And when we recognize that in ourselves, we also grow in empathy for other people — even when we catch them in a moment they wish we didn’t see.

That’s maturity.

That’s leadership.

That’s the village mindset.

What CIS Chicago Does (and Why It Matters)

At some point I had to pull us back into the basics because Village — when you know somebody well, it’s easy to assume everybody else knows them too.

So here’s the official: Robin has been in education for 20+ years, and she’s been at CIS Chicago for 10 years. She currently serves as the Chief Partnership Engagement Officer — which she jokingly calls the best job in the city (and she’s not trying to tell too many people, because somebody might try to take it).

CIS Chicago is all about relationships and partnerships that support students.

And not just a few.

Robin shared that CIS Chicago partners with 250 CPS schools — about 40% of the district.

That’s not small.

That’s city-level work.

That’s ecosystem work.

That’s the village in motion.

A Story That Shows the Village at Work

I asked Robin to bring us into her world with a real example — not just the concept of partnerships, but what it looks like when it’s working.

And she shared something I loved because it showed how the village isn’t always a formal program. Sometimes the village shows up in everyday life.

Robin’s husband is an instrument repair technician — he repairs woodwind instruments. And one of his clients is a 76-year-old man named Don Sedefsky, who has spent his entire life giving back through music education across Chicago.

Don saw a need and filled it.

He started community bands.
He got instruments into kids’ hands.
He changed lives — to the point that professional musicians credit him with helping them get started.

And to honor Don, one of his former students started a foundation in his name to provide instruments and music education for Chicago students.

Then Don asked a simple question:

“Do you know anybody who could use this?”

Robin’s response wasn’t just “yes” — it was a whole network.

Because when you have relationships with 250 schools, you start hearing needs differently.

Robin made a point that stuck with me: there’s a dopamine hit that comes from performance — the applause, the immediate affirmation. But there’s also a deeper satisfaction from making a connection that changes a child’s trajectory, even if you never see the moment it lands.

Sometimes you’re taking a picture with a disposable camera:

You trust it captured something meaningful.
You just won’t see it until later.

Why We Care About Violence Prevention

Robin and I also talked about something we’ve been building together — work rooted in a simple, urgent desire:

Kids in Chicago should be safe.
And they should feel safe.

So I asked her directly: why do you care about violence prevention?

Robin’s answer started with a question she asked herself:

What keeps me up at night?
What am I worried about for young people?
And is there anything I can do about it?

She said she kept coming back to one thing: belonging.

When students feel centered, valued, and connected, that’s not just “nice.”

That’s violence prevention.

And she said it clearly: this isn’t theory. There’s data to support it.

Belonging improves outcomes.
Belonging improves mental health.
Belonging increases attendance.
Belonging reduces the conditions that fuel violence.

Then she shared something even bigger: we’re working on a white paper that will lay out practical, real-world ways any Chicagoan can be part of the solution — because right now, there aren’t enough “on-ramps” for everyday people to get involved.

And here’s the line that stayed with me:

If not us, then who?

Do the W-R-I-T-E Thing

Robin also broke down one of the most powerful youth-centered initiatives she’s connected to: Do the W-R-I-T-E Thing.

It’s a writing challenge for middle school students that’s been happening in Chicago since the 1990s, and it asks students three questions (in any format they want — letter, poem, essay, song, story… whatever the vibe is):

1. What has been my experience with youth violence?

2. What do I think the causes are?

3. What can I do about it?

And Robin admitted something important: she used to assume kids would propose big political solutions.

But what kids actually wrote?

“I want adults to check on me more often.”
“I will be a better friend.”
“I will help my neighbor.”

Small actions. Big impact.

The tagline says it all:

Students write. We listen. Change is possible.

And that’s really what this whole episode is about.

Listening.
Seeing each other fully.
Building community.
And remembering that the village isn’t a theory — it’s a practice.

Closing Thought

Episode 14 reminded me that the village doesn’t always show up as a program.

Sometimes it shows up as a relationship.
Sometimes it shows up as a connection.
Sometimes it shows up as a teacher noticing a kid.
Sometimes it shows up as a community member choosing to care.

And sometimes it shows up as a friend like Robin — who can bring the energy, bring the strategy, bring the data, bring the love, and still stay human while doing it.

That’s the kind of leadership Chicago needs.

That’s the kind of village we’re building.