Teens With a Purpose celebrates youth leaders using poetry as a force for civic engagement, healing, and social impact NORFOLK, VA — At a time when young people across the country are demanding to be heard, Virginia has named its newest youth poetic leaders. Teens With a Purpose, in partnership with the National Youth Poet Laureate Program under the leadership of Urban Word, proudly announces the appointment of Tris Meagher of Midlothian as the 2026 Virginia Youth Poet Laureate and Breanna...

Norfolk, VA — Teens With a Purpose has cultivated a powerful platform where young people are not only heard but amplified. Through its annual youth poetry festival, the organization continues a longstanding tradition of elevating youth voice as a driving force for creativity, healing, and social change. What began as a space for young writers to share their work has grown into a cornerstone cultural experience across Hampton Roads one that nurtures artistic expression while developing the...

From Unseen to Unstoppable: Hampton Roads Youth Demand to Be Heard Norfolk, VA — Sept 10, 2025 – We are the youth of Hampton Roads. We are the ones living these realities, holding these dreams, and shaping the future right now. And we’re done waiting. That’s why we’re calling our community to join us at The State of the Youth Voice: Unseen to Unstoppable— a youth-led event where we get to speak for ourselves, in our own voices, about what matters most. This is our stage, our stories, our...