Youth Speaks is a national non-profit organization started in San Francisco in 1996, dedicated towards building the next generation of leaders through both written and spoken word poetry. Youth Speaks Hawai`i (YSH) is the Hawai`i branch of Youth Speaks, founded by Kealoha of the HawaiiSlam movement (the same organization that hosts First Thursdays, the largest slam poetry competition in the world). We encourage youth to find their own avenues toward creative self-expression, and embrace the collaborative nature of group dynamics and peer-to-peer education. By coupling public performance and publication opportunities with educational workshops, mentoring programs, and cooperative learning, YSH encourages active literacy, honest writing, and critical thought.
All of our programs are open to teens, age 13-19, interested in the word. We do not discriminate on the basis of content or academic performance, nor on the basis of race, class, religion, political alignment, gender, or sexual orientation. Our only criterion for inclusion is a high level of commitment. This approach has placed Youth Speaks into a nationally recognized position as a leader in the youth poetry and spoken word educational movement.
All of our programs are open to teens, age 13-19, interested in the word. We do not discriminate on the basis of content or academic performance, nor on the basis of race, class, religion, political alignment, gender, or sexual orientation. Our only criterion for inclusion is a high level of commitment. This approach has placed Youth Speaks into a nationally recognized position as a leader in the youth poetry and spoken word educational movement.