Youth poetry needs your help.

WordPlay is a Baton Rouge organization that works with young people, creating poetic, transformative spaces where “artistic and civic voices can be amplified.” It has worked with thousands of youth over the course of seven years. But in these tough economic times, they need your help.

They have 20 days to raise $4,000 to put on All City, the annual city-wide teen poetry slam festival. They are asking us to support the “$30 for a 30” campaign at ALL CITY 2012 KickStarter Campaign. They are asking a minimum of $30, but all dollar amounts are accepted and appreciated. See the video below for a trailer for the event.

This is not just about promoting a program, it is about supporting a small part of the youth poetry movement. Here are some words from WordPlay founder Anna West:

I have made this my life’s work because I know, in the words of Audre Lorde, that “poetry is not a luxury.” I know that you already get what this is about, a life line and a movement for youth. You also know how important it is that it happens here in Louisiana. After all, this is the state that won’t pass anti-bullying legislation because it includes protections for gay and lesbian youth. This is the state where the ideal of public education seems to be steadily breaking down. We live in a state with the highest rate of teens disconnected from school and work in the country. You must understand what it means for young people here and now to document their lived experiences, to re-imagine those experiences and to build a public space where speaking truth to power is the norm, not the exception. This space is as critical today as it ever was.

Please join me in showing your solidarity with the youth of this community: Click here to donate today: ALL CITY 2012 KickStarter Campaign.