Youth Speaks

Youth Speaks

Arts-In-Education Organization


Believe that where you have come you have gotten there not necessarily on your own but that you've made it possible for yourself.

Videos

By Roadtrip Nation

Youth Speaks

Milestones

My road in life has been direct.
Kirya Traber, Talia Taylor, Chinaka Hodge, and Lauren Whitehead are mentors at nonprofit Youth Speaks.
Their goal is to empower young people to use their voices in whatever way they see fit, and to define their own destinies.
Each of these leading presenters of the spoken word arts and education programs at Youth Speaks got there in their own unique ways.
Kirya started writing when she was very young, but she'd grown up with a struggling artist mother, so she always wanted to find a "real job."
Eventually she realized that the six years she'd spent writing poetry could transform into her real job.
Lauren had to reconcile chasing what she loved-which was poetry-with meeting her family's expectations of her.
She always struggled with whether or not her art was "legitimate" if she didn't have her MFA, or wasn't making a comfortable salary.
Today, Lauren has confidence in her poetry, and she encourages all of her 16-year-old students to say, "I'm awesome, and nobody can tell me different."
Keep following my journey

Career

Arts-In-Education Organization

We help young people by inspiring them and putting them in control of their own intellectual and artistic development.

Career Roadmap

Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Non-Profit Organizations
Writing
Helping People

Interviewed By

San Francisco

San Francisco

Meet team Here, There, Everywhere-Denise, Carolyn, and Sarah-and follow their six-week cross-country journey as they search to learn more about themselves and their futures. Denise, a hair stylist, wants to break out and explore what the world has to offer. Carolyn left her steady job at an advertising agency to find out how she can use her skills for more humanitarian causes, while Sarah, who wants to do something creative, is still learning to not let fear hold her back from trying new things. Traveling to San Francisco, Calif., the team meets Jesse Jacobs, owner of Samovar Tea Lounge, and then hears powerful words from poets at Youth Speaks who encourage them to listen to their hearts.