Beyond the 5-day event, which takes place in a different city each year, Brave New Voices is rapidly emerging as a necessary network of support, resource-share, best-practice and cultural exchange among programs working yearlong throughout the country (and beyond).

Poetry and spoken word in particular have become strong and accessible teaching tools requiring teens to develop an in-depth focus on language, identity, and literacy development. The critical thinking and cultural literacy skills young writers develop lay the crucial foundation for active civic, community, and educational involvement. Mentoring plays an important role in Brave New Voices, with there typically being one adult per every four youth throughout the festival.

Within the past eleven years, we have seen a whole new generation of youth taking an interest in, and making the connection between, poetry and spoken word as a means for personal development and social change. This generation is recognizing that it has the power, and responsibility, to change society and their own lives for the better.

Nation-wide, there is a resurgence of young people embracing the pen and microphone as an outlet for positive, creative expression. The increasing popularity of Brave New Voices and spoken word nationwide presents an opportunity to develop a network and framework in which the aesthetics can be embraced and developed in educational, theatrical, artistic, and cultural settings so as to become fully sustainable, long-lasting, and significant.

Brave New Voices™ is a project of Youth Speaks, Inc, and is supported by a variety of funders, nonprofit organizations, poets, and educators dedicated to supporting the next generation of leaders through the written and spoken word. Each year, the event is hosted by a local organization that makes up part of the Brave New Voices network of youth poetry programs.