Youth Speaks

Congratulations to Youth Speaks Alumni, Zoe Dorado whose poem "When Nanay Comes Home" in collaboration with Deborah Slater Dance Theater has been recognized as an award winner of best short dance film at the Paris Women Cinefest!

We're #hiring a new Director of Advancement in San Francisco Bay Area. Apply today or share this post with your network.

YOUTH SPEAKS IS HIRING! Youth Speaks seeks a Director of Advancement with a bold outlook on the future, deep expertise in fundraising and passion for the transformative power of youth voice, storytelling and inclusive culture. For more information on the role visit youthspeaks.org/careers

Thanks to all who joined us at last week’s Bay Area Together celebration! What an amazing night that highlighted the ways we can work together to create an inclusive Bay Area. For more than 75 years, SFF has stayed the course, helping the Bay Area meet its needs during times of crisis, and celebrating with community during times of joy. And we will continue to be here for the Bay Area, as a partner for donors, nonprofits, and community leaders to come up with the best solutions to creating an inclusive region. For more on how we work together to create an inclusive Bay Area, tap the link in our bio to see our latest Annual Report. https://ow.ly/8EjM50TXHxj ???????????? Audiopharmacy, DJ Leydis of Cuba, Youth Speaks, KQED

We started #SOCAP24 by grounding ourselves in why we are here and defining what it means to work toward systems change with Land Connection Ceremonies and our Opening Plenary. Thank you to those who led the kick-off to SOCAP24 and shared their experience, wisdom, and passion to launch our three days together, including: ?? The leaders of the Land Ceremonies: Gregg Castro (Association of Ramaytush Ohlone), Manari Ushigua, (Sápara Nation in the Ecuadorian Amazon), Kelly White (Salish Nation, Musqueam, Nanaimo), and Wáhiakatste (Wahi) Diome-Deer (Raven Indigenous Outcomes Funds). ?? The Opening Plenary speakers: Ariana Lee (Youth Speaks), Kylan D. (Youth Speaks), Gregg Castro (Association of Ramaytush Ohlone), Rodney Foxworth (Worthmore), Naina Subberwal Batra (AVPN), Antony Bugg-Levine (Lafayette Square Institute), James Mwangi (Climate Action Platform for Africa (CAP-A)), Rodrigo Villar (New Ventures), Emily Kasriel, Jenn Harper (Cheekbone Beauty Cosmetics INC), Salim Ismail (OpenExO), Christiana Figueres (Global Optimism), Helena Gualinga, and Dominic Hofstetter (TransCap Initiative). And a special thanks to our emcees: Katie Macc (Sorenson Impact), Hanae Bezad (Beehane LLC), and Michelle Arevalo-Carpenter (SOCAP Global)! ?? We were inspired by these words from the Opening Plenary: ??"Systems change is deeply personal." – Christiana Figueres ??"Sustainability is a journey, there is no end destination." — Jenn Harper ??"My belief is the people in this room are the people who are going to be responsible for shaping the growth and the future of impact investing. — Rodney Foxworth ??"Let’s double down on due diligence when it comes to showing up with benevolence. Here is to going deeper, closing the deal on making the world a better place." – Hanae Bezad Photos by Hardwig Media

"It's amazing how people's first entry into poetry or writing or storytelling is really about listening." - Executive Director Michelle Mush Lee on the Kitchen Sisters podcast which covered the Brave New Voices Festival this past summer. Listen to the full episode here! https://lnkd.in/gVaE8SUv

PUBLIC POETS SPOTLIGHT! Nathan Wallace is a poet and teaching artist based in Atlanta, originally from Hinesville, Georgia. His work centers on using poetry to address civic trauma, advocate for policy change, and reimagine the public realm as a space for healing and equity. Focusing on communities where marginalized youth—particularly BIPOC, queer, disabled, poor, and immigrant individuals—feel neglected by the government, Nathan’s poetry amplifies underrepresented voices. Each Public Poet Fellow receives an unrestricted $15,000 stipend and will take part in a 9-month fellowship that includes generative writing, performance coaching, and the professional development needed to spearhead campaigns that challenge policies, reshape social beliefs, and transform the cultural landscape. Get to know all of our Public Poets fellows this week through our social platforms and learn more about them and their work at https://lnkd.in/gYU-ykU5 #PublicPoets #Fellowship #Atlanta #YouthPoetry #NarrativeChange

Tyris Winter is a desert-raised but L.A.-based artist who uses poetry and fashion as a form of expression and connection to their community. Winter is passionate about not only uplifting themselves through expression but the many queer youth who are raised with binaries and confinements and still have dreams regardless. Each Public Poet Fellow receives an unrestricted $15,000 stipend and will take part in a 9-month fellowship that includes generative writing, performance coaching, and the professional development needed to spearhead campaigns that challenge policies, reshape social beliefs, and transform the cultural landscape. Get to know all of our Public Poets fellows this week through our social platforms and learn more about them and their work by going to https://lnkd.in/gYU-ykU5 #PublicPoets #PowerLab #LosAngeles #YouthVoices #NarrativeChange

Pte San Win Little Whiteman is an Oglala Lakota poet who uses poetry for advocacy and healing. Most of their poetry highlights mental health awareness, environmental, racial, and social justice, land/body relationships, and language revitalization. Each Public Poet Fellow receives an unrestricted $15,000 stipend and will take part in a 9-month fellowship that includes generative writing, performance coaching, and the professional development needed to spearhead campaigns that challenge policies, reshape social beliefs, and transform the cultural landscape. Get to know all of our Public Poets fellows this week through our social platforms and learn more about them and their work by going to https://lnkd.in/gYU-ykU5 #PublicPoets #Fellowship #Lakota #YouthPoetry #NarrativeChange

Ariana Lee (she/her/她) is a Taiwanese and Chinese American writer from Houston, TX. She is the 2022-2023 Houston Youth Poet Laureate and two-time member of Meta4 Houston, the #1 ranked youth slam poetry team at Brave New Voices 2023 (the first Houston team to win the title). Each Public Poet Fellow receives an unrestricted $15,000 stipend and will take part in a 9-month fellowship that includes generative writing, performance coaching, and the professional development needed to spearhead campaigns that challenge policies, reshape social beliefs, and transform the cultural landscape. Get to know all of our Public Poets fellows this week through our social platforms and learn more about them and their work by going to https://lnkd.in/gYU-ykU5 #PublicPoets #PowerLab #Houston #YouthVoices #NarrativeChange