Brave New Voices 2008

Brave New Voices
Overall Festival Description
 

Through its dynamic performance and explosive content, Spoken Word has the ability to engage the

listener in an intimate and emotional dialogue that makes for the ideal learning environment, one which

decodes complex issues, ethical controversies, pedagogical conflicts, and historical events through

performance art. Spoken Word cuts through the political rhetoric and morality issues of our times by demystifying

the currency of language, inviting open and provocative discourse, which we deem as a

marker of success given today's increasing conservatism and censorship.

Designed to develop and publicly present a new generation of artists, thinkers, and leaders, Brave New

Voices has grown to pioneer the presentation of poetry and writing programs for teenagers, including the

National Youth Poetry Slam, open mics, and spoken word events alongside a comprehensive curriculum

of in-school and after-school educational and youth development programs.

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.