Life & Work with Words To Power of Denver

Today we’d like to introduce you to Words To Power

Hi Words To, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Words To Power emerged in 2018 as a culmination of 20 years our founder has spent using spoken word poetry to first empower himself as a young person, and then provide that same opportunity to thousands of youth. Seeing the impact of that work, numerous community members and respected leaders encouraged its continuation. The several who joined to advance Words To Power’s mission of showing youth the power of their words included youth, parents, and educators. In fact, our story and vision can best be communicated through the words of our participants and partners:

“I learned that I have the power within me and to not be afraid to express it.” -Emily (12th grade)

“I liked when we had to write our own poems. I’ll use poems to express my feelings. Keep saying your poems to other people so they could be inspired too.” –Maria (7th grade)

“I really liked how you told us to always say our story…I also like that you let us express ourselves by saying our poems out loud.” –Dario (5th grade)

“Words To Power planted a seed into the minds of our students, who now truly understand the power of their own VOICE and stories. Thank you for empowering, supporting, and helping my students realize they have the tools to write and the capabilities to share their knowledge.”

-Guadalupe (5th Grade Teacher)

“Word to Power gave our students the space, tools, and courage to find their voice and share their stories. We are so excited to build a partnership to help our youth continue to develop their voices and inspire the next generation to do the same.” -Shelby (HS English Teacher)

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Building a nonprofit organization from the ground up is a challenge in itself. Add the COVID-19 pandemic at the beginning of its journey of growth and it turns into a difficult path to traverse. With school closures and the move to online learning, our scheduled poetry workshops were cancelled. Although we adjusted and offered virtual options, our impact was limited by school survival mode and not being in person. We used the challenge as motivation for publishing our first book of youth poetry in June 2021 with the theme “The Struggle Is Real…So Is Our Resilience.” With the pandemic obstacle removed, the energy shared during the book release event propelled us down our path with a greater sense of purpose.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Words To Power’s mission is to show youth the power of their words. We conduct highly engaging, culturally relevant, and SEL-focused spoken word poetry workshops for underserved youth in elementary, middle, and high schools in the Denver metro area and throughout Colorado. As an extension of our workshops, we partner with schools to host presentations of youth poetry. Words To Power publishes an annual book of youth poetry with submissions from our workshop participants. We then host a community showcase with contributors, offering them an authentic opportunity for academic excellence, creative expression, and community engagement.

Words To Power is proud of our accomplishments over the last 6 years showing youth the power of their words. We have partnered with 51 schools/organizations to serve over 6,000 students and their families through spoken word poetry workshops, performances, youth-written books, and community showcases. We have published 4 books of youth poetry featuring 277 contributors. In addition to 36 individual donors, 9 major funders have supported our work. We look forward to continuing partnerships with community (schools, organizations, funders, and individuals) as we uplift youth voices and share their powerful words. We know that we can make a difference in youth mental health and resiliency.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
We learned to adapt to our circumstances and utilize the new tools that emerge. For example, programs like Zoom and Calendly have been incredibly convenient in coordinating details for our partnerships. In response to the crisis, schools purchased chromebooks and started using online classroom software. We adjusted to these new developments, enabling us to easily have participants type their final poem(s) as part of an assignment. They can then fill out our online survey and submit their poetry to our book. Our continued focus on adjusting and improving has streamlined our processes and expanded our impact.

Pricing:

• based on school budget

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wordstopower.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wordstopower/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WordsToPower/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVhRjj9DpKe5wVqARBj4NiA