Youth Speaks Inc

YOUTH SPEAKS CREATES SAFE SPACES TO EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS, SELF-DEFINED ARTISTS, AND VISIONARY ACTIVISTS THROUGH WRITTEN AND ORAL LITERACIES. WE CHALLENGE YOUTH TO FIND, DEVELOP, PUBLICLY PRESENT, AND APPLY THEIR VOICES AS CREATORS OF SOCIETAL CHANGE. ULTIMATELY, WE HOPE TO SHIFT THE PERCEPTIONS OF YOUTH BY COMBATING ILLITERACY, ALIENATION, AND SILENCE, CREATING A GLOBAL MOVEMENT OF BRAVE NEW VOICES BRINGING THE NOISE FROM THE MARGINS TO THE CORE. SINCE 1996, YOUTH SPEAKS HAS CHAMPIONED A LOCALIZED, NATIONAL, AND INCREASINGLY GLOBAL MOVEMENT OF YOUNG PEOPLE BOLDLY DECLARING THEMSELVES PRESENT.

NATIONAL & FIELD BUILDING PROGRAMS - (1) BRAVE NEW VOICES -- YOUTHSPEAKS FIRST FOUNDED THE BRAVE NEW VOICES (OR "BNV") FESTIVAL AS THENATIONAL YOUTH POETRY SLAM IN 1998, AFTER THE SUCCESS OF THE LOCAL WORKIN THE BAY AREA. THE FIRST SLAM HAD FOUR TEAMS; WE NOW HAVE 55COMPETING TEAMS AND FIVE TO TEN NON-COMPETING TEAMS JOIN US EACH YEAR.BNV IS ABOUT BRINGING TOGETHER YOUNG POETS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE SOTHAT THEY CAN CREATE NEW PATHWAYS TOWARD ARTISTIC GROWTH, CIVICENGAGEMENT, AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT. BNV TAKES PLACE IN A DIFFERENT CITYEACH YEAR, AND REACHES UP TO 200,000 PEOPLE EACH FESTIVAL. BEGINNING INFY14, THE PROGRAM WAS EXPANDED TO INCLUDE THE BNV NETWORK INITIATIVE, ACOMPREHENSIVE MULTI-YEAR INITIATIVE TO SUPPORT PROGRAMS ANDORGANIZATIONS IN THE FIELD OF ARTS EDUCATION AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT THROUGH GRANTS, CONSULTING SERVICES, FELLOWSHIPS, AND OTHER RESOURCES,FROM WITHIN THE EXISTING BNV NETWORK AND BEYOND, TO BECOME STRONGER,MORE SUSTAINABLE, AND MORE IMPACTFUL ORGANIZATIONS. (2) THE BIGGERPICTURE IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN YOUTH SPEAKS, AND THE UNIVERSITY OFCALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO CENTER FOR VULNERABLE POPULATIONS DESIGNED TOCOMBAT THE RISING EPIDEMIC OF TYPE 2 DIABETES BY EMPOWERING YOUTH TOCHANGE THE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE DISEASE, AND WORK TO CHANGE THESOCIAL, CULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS THAT HAVE LED TO ITS SPREAD,IN THE BAY AREA AND THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA. WE AIM TO INSPIRE YOUNGPEOPLE TO CHALLENGE AND NAME THE INSTITUTIONAL, ENVIRONMENTAL ANDSOCIAL CAUSES OF TYPE 2 DIABETES. IT IS OUR HOPE THAT BY RAISING THEIRVOICE, TAKING ACTION AND JOINING THE CONVERSATION, THEY WILL INEVITABLYALTER THE TRAJECTORY OF THE DISEASE, AND PROVIDE YOUTH WITH A VIRTUALPLATFORM, AND REAL LIFE PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEIR STORIES TOBE HEARD. (3) LIFE IS LIVING IS A COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITY-BASED PROJECTTHAT TESTS IDEAS ABOUT ENGAGING YOUTH, PRESENTING PUBLIC ART, FOSTERINGLITERACY AND STORYTELLING, DEVELOPING ARTS AUDIENCES, ESTABLISHINGNON-TRADITIONAL PARTNERSHIPS, TRANSFORMING THE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICEMOVEMENT, AND CATALYZING COMMUNITY-BUILDING.

BAY AREA PROGRAMS - EVERY TIME A THOUGHT IS PUT INTO WORDS, IT IS A CREATIVE ACT (THUS THE TERM, LANGUAGE ARTS). THE SAME WAY A STUDENT RECOGNIZES AND IS ABLE TO PRACTICE VISUAL ARTS BY LEARNING IMAGES, DRAWING, PAINTING, AND/OR SCULPTING, A PERSON'S LANGUAGE SKILLS EXPAND THE MORE S/HE COMMUNICATES IDEAS, PROBLEMS, FEELINGS, AND SOLUTIONS. OUR LOCAL PROGRAMMING SITS AT THE CORE OF YOUTH SPEAKS. PROGRAMS SUCH AS OUR AFTER SCHOOL WORKSHOPS, IN-SCHOOL RESIDENCIES, UNCER 21 OPEN MIC, BRINGING THE NOISE FOR MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., TEEN POETRY SLAM, UNIFIED DISTRICT POETRY CLAM, OAKLAND POET LAUREATE, QUEERIOSITY AND MC OLYMPICS, FULLY EMBODY OUR UNIQUE PEDAGOGY WHICH COMBINES ARTS EDUCATION, YOUTH DEVELOPMENT, PERFORMANCE AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. WE BELIEVE THAT OUR STRENGTH AS A NATIONAL LEADER IS INTRINSICALLY CONNECTED TO THE DEPTH AND EXCELLENCE OF OUR CORE LOCAL PROGRAMS AND PEDAGOGY. YOUTH SPEAKS IS ALSO ACTIVELY CREATING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES AND PATHWAYS AS PART OF BAY AREA PROGRAM. WE DEVELOPED THE FIRST SOUND INSTITUTE IN COLLABORATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, TO BRING TOGETHER ARTISTS AND SECONDARY EDUCATORS FROM ACROSS THE BAY AREA AND BEYOND TO PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO OUR PEDAGOGY, OUR PHILOSOPHICAL UNDERPINNINGS OF OUR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT, AND OUR ARTS DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES.

OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES: YOUTH SPEAKS CONVENED A STATEWIDE NETWORK OF 10 NETWORK ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS CALIFORNIA TO BE TRAINED IN THE DELIVERY OF BEST PRACTICES IN SPOKEN WORD PROGRAMMING BASED IN YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE PRINCIPLES. YOUTH SPEAKS ALSO PARTNERED WITH UCSFS CENTER FOR VULNERABLE POPULATIONS TO THE INCREASE OF TYPE II DIABETES IN CERTAIN POPULATIONS THROUGH CULTURAL WORK TO DRIVE BEHAVIORAL CHANGE.