What Now America

Last Saturday, WNA focused on poetry and self-expression, as the youth learned about different mediums for expressing their identity, hopes and dreams. The sharing of personal goals and life experiences during the program allowed the youth to connect with each other and the program volunteers.

After being introduced to some examples of poetry, the youth began a brainstorm of personal aspects of their identity. For example, youth wrote sentences about their culture, family members, challenges, successes, and their personal goals. Once the youth wrote out some of their ideas for poetry, and accompanied them with pictures, they began planning for performances. These ranged from dramatic skits to readings of individual poems. The dramatic skits were entertaining and well-acted, as the youth fully immersed themselves in the imagined situations and characters. Skits included a dramatic portrayal of a bank robbery, and an entertaining and informative skit about staying away from suspicious strangers.

Some of the youth chose to present their poems individually, showing confidence in their written words, and personal courage. These poems were both descriptive and unique, with each one expressing the reader's identity. Personal goals, including changing the world for the better, and being a good person, made up powerful parts of the poems. The close-knit feeling of the day continued with appreciations, where the youth appreciated friends and volunteers for working together on performances and aiding with poetry writing.