Art Chowder July | August 2018, Issue 16 | Page 32

P
ride Prep’s Brian Via said, “The very
first time Power2thePoetry performed at
PRIDE schools the impact was immedi-
ate. Students were engaged in their ev-
ery word. Students felt compelled to ex-
plore their thoughts and feelings around
their own lives and wondered aloud to
staff members if “spoken word” was
something that would be a good outlet
for them as well? As a longtime educa-
tor, you recognize when a child has been
inspired. That particular day it was all
around our building. Children now talk
about wanting to write and share those
thoughts and feelings and are excited to
have that opportunity.“
Power2thePoetry is inspired by Martin
Luther King and his “poor people’s
campaign.” The underpinning values of
treating people with respect, encourag-
ing equality and economic equity, run
parallel to their work with the written
and spoken word.
You can learn more about their work at
Power2thePoetry.com
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ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE