Kelloggsville — Students’ talents go far beyond the spotlight of singing and dancing. It can be the careful balance of a flower arrangement or the strategy behind a marketing pitch.
Kelloggsville High School senior Gloire Bulangashane saw that potential and, alongside a group of friends, created Young Community Talent — a space for people ages 14–25 to express themselves, build skills and connect within a positive community.
“We’re still growing ourselves, and that’s what makes this feel like the right time,” said East Kentwood junior JaMare “JJ” Flourry, YCT co-founder. “It’s about young people empowering other young people. When you’re young, guidance isn’t always readily available; there isn’t always someone there to show you the path or tell you what to do. So, what if we can become that source of direction for someone else?”
‘There are younger people who look up to us. That means we have the chance to be for them what we wish we had for ourselves.’
— East Kentwood junior JaMare ‘JJ’ Flourry Jr., co-founder, Young Community Talent
Gloire said the idea began with his desire to give back to the community. He and JJ spent a three-hour meeting discussing what that could look like.
“The first question we asked when we had the idea was what was something that was missing in our community, and I feel like that was a big factor that led to us thinking of the idea of showcasing the talent for the community,” JJ said.
Later, while talking with his mother and sister about a community project, Gloire said the idea for Young Community Talent came together.
“It just kind of came into place,” he said. “What if we bring young, talented people together and have them showcase what they’re doing?”
From there, the two settled on the name “Young Community Talent” and began building a team and organizing events where people could showcase their abilities.
Building the Team
As Gloire and JJ searched for a venue for their event, Gloire came across East Kentwood junior Drew Warren’s Instagram page. Impressed by his work and discovering he lived in Kentwood, Gloire reached out.
Drew, a saxophonist who runs his own company, Drew play sax productions, said he understood how difficult it can be to break into the local jazz scene and immediately saw the value in the organization.
“It is difficult, because there are people way more experienced than you,” he said. “Youth are still learning, and it is difficult to start something.” He thought Young Community Talent “would make it easier and show the community there is talent out there.”
Drew now helps recruit and prepare musicians, singers, dancers, poets and other performers for events, and said he has been impressed by what he has seen.
“Not a lot of youth have spotlights on them,” he explained, “and they would love to have a chance to show their talents and have business opportunities around them.”
Kelloggsville junior Baruani Amisi, the fourth member of the team, said he joined after jokingly telling Gloire his marketing was “terrible.”
“I would always tell Gloire, ‘I’m close to you, and I don’t even know about this,’” recalled Baruani, a student in Kent Career Tech Center’s marketing and entrepreneurship program. He offered to help promote the organization and its February showcase.
“I have no musical background, but what I can do is I’m almost like a perfectionist,” he explained. “I like to make things look good, and when it doesn’t look good, I stay up at night to make it look good.”
Baruani helped edit videos for the group’s website, manage Instagram content, develop a marketing plan and design Young Community Talent merchandise.
Building on Success
Thanks to the team’s efforts, the group’s first showcase in February drew more than 50 participants, including performers and small business owners. The YCT band also performed..
Gloire added that Young Community Talent is meant to be more than a one-time event.
“Our goal is to encourage people to grow in their talents, step into leadership roles and find ways to give back to the community,” he said. “A big part of that is empowering young people to take initiative and make an impact in different ways.”
The February event also sparked ideas about connecting participants with businesses and community leaders to help develop career pathways.
“We didn’t just want to have a talent show,” JJ said. “Yes, we want to showcase talent, but if I have talent, I want to make something out of it. I want to make a career out of it. We want to give them that pathway.”
That vision has already led to conversations with a local bank about hosting an event focused on financial literacy, Gloire said, expanding the organization beyond performance into real-world skills and opportunity.
“It’s about creating spaces where young people can learn practical skills, build confidence and be empowered,” he said.
JJ added that the group continues to seek partnerships and mentors.
“Even though we’re still figuring things out, there are younger people who look up to us,” he said. “That means we have the chance to be for them what we wish we had for ourselves. That’s the role we’re trying to step into.”
Reporter Erin Albanese contributed to this story.
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