TITLE
Recommendation to receive and file a presentation from Philosophy on National Poetry Month; and
Direct the Department of Library Services to partner with the Arts Council of Long Beach to prepare and update on the Youth Poet Laureate Program and return to council within 30 days.
DISCUSSION
In April 2019, the Council unanimously approved to establish a Youth Poet Laureate Program (Program) in Long Beach with a goal to further enhance the city's current literacy and arts programming, with a focus on uplifting and celebrating the youth voice. The program is an initiative of Urban Word, a national nonprofit based in New York City, in collaboration with local youth literary arts organizations. It was established in New York City in 2008 and has since then spread to 41 cities across the country, including Oakland, Los Angeles, Seattle, Houston, and Baltimore. The goals of these programs are similar: to capture the essence of the city, to inspire creativity in all residents, and to bring the literary arts to people who may have limited access or few opportunities to poetry or expressive writing. These goals are reached through classes or workshops at branch libraries, public readings, poetry festivals, and original works.
The purpose of the program is to develop and cultivate the unique voices of Long Beach Youth while creating platforms and spaces for them to be heard. The program helped in manifesting the city’s commitment to critical literacy: literacy that extends beyond “reading and writing”, and the promotion of self-awareness in individuals, communities, and society at large. One of the most important outcomes of the program is its greater goal of nurturing creative, professional, and civically engaged young leaders, as youth serve as official ambassadors of their city's literary arts community.
The Applicants of the Program must be Long Beach residents between the ages of 14 and 19 as well as be available to serve as Laureate for the program year (Ma...
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