HRYP ’22

2022 marks the 14th year that Teens With a Purpose (TWP) has had the honor to curate and present the Regions only Youth Literary Arts Festival.  This year we began with youth poetry workshops throughout the school year and culminated with Youth Poetry Showcase held in March at the Virginia Stage Company Wells Theatre in Norfolk; the Youth Poet Laureate Contest hosted by Assembly NFK in early April; ImmortALL Youth Poetry event that paid homage to the unsung black history figures through poetic response performances & the announcement of the 2022 Hampton Roads Youth Poet Laureates at Zeider American Dream Theatre in Virginia Beach at the end of National Poetry Month.  

We invite you to become a part of the Hampton Roads Youth Poetry Slam Team.

Because we know that young people have a lot to say; they have big dreams and passion and are searching for their purpose, TWP puts them at the center of their learning experiences by activating performance poetry to ignite that fire that will cultivate their creative voices.

We are looking for committed, opinionated teenagers with an interest in performance poetry, theatre, songwriting, debate, and rap music.  We are also seeking to help empower students with a need or desire to develop a creative outlet that will help them build self-esteem and bond with peers in a shared learning & creative experience.  

Together students will work with some of the best performance poets as they read, write, critically analyze, bond, and continue to perform on premier stages throughout our region.  At the end of May, six finalists will qualify to represent all of Hampton Roads at Brave New Voices and others will be on the auxiliary team.  The Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival, powered by Youth Speaks, is the only festival of its kind. Every year, over 500 young poets, their mentors, and the nation’s leading artists and cultural workers convene in a different U.S. city for 4-5 days of arts education, artistic expression, and civic engagement.  Due to COVID19 restrictions, last year’s festival was virtual.  Teens With a Purpose hosted the Opening event LINK 

2022 Brave New Voices will have limited teams participating for the in-person event in Washington DC.  Details will follow.  The registration link to sign up for the Hampton Roads Youth Poets is Here  

The following is the schedule until the end of the school year.

The Slam team will be invited to perform at FUSE Fest on June 4th and various other events.

Registrations may be submitted online (https://www.twp-themovement.org/HRYP) or students may complete the enclosed registration form.