Teens created a 70’s inspired event focusing on Peace, Unity & Edutainment

Teens created a 70’s inspired event focusing on Peace, Unity & Edutainment

F.U.S.E Teen Fest empowered young people to make healthy choices

The non-profit organization TWP (Teens With a Purpose) -The Youth Movement had their 16^th annual teen event on September 14th in downtown Norfolk at the Vivian C Mason Teen Center with over 150 guests in attendance. This annual teen event was created by teens and for teens, as is the tradition, each year TWP tackles the most important issues or challenges youth face and address them head on. In previous years there were retreats, forums and theatrical productions. This year’s event marks their first ever, teen festival F.U.S.E., focusing on peace, unity, spirit and edutainment. The F.U.S.E. Teen Fest is a 70’s inspired community festival that will included workshops like STAND UP! a interactive youth-led workshop that provides practical steps young people can take to help effect positive change in their communities, led by campers from TWP’s Teen peer-led camp - Camp Inspired; WEB BRUISING a cyber bullying and web spying workshop hosted by City of Norfolk Youth Council, POWER OF POETRY facilitated by Hampton Roads Youth Poets and Baltimore Citywide Youth Poets and COME TOGETHER a workshop for parents designed to improve communication between adults and teens facilitated by Life Coach volunteer LaShandra Walker and Sabrina Watson of YouthMax.

Guest who participated in workshops, were treated to healthy local food by Five Points Farmers Market and salad using vegetables and herbs from TWP's garden on-site. The second half of the event focused on entertainment and was hosted by the new Face of Fox 43 Andria Lea and TWP member Paige Robinson. Teens experienced amazing, original music and positive music by TWP's music division Music Made Simple (MMS) and soul piercing spoken word poetry written and performed by this generation’s bravest new voices Hampton Roads Youth Poets (HRYP). The night also included a very groovy fashion show with 70’s inspired fashions. No Fine Print Clothing Collection sponsored the fashion show and also created a custom t-shirt line for Teens With a Purpose.

Special guests included Baltimore City Youth Poets who also took the stage by storm with thought provoking poetry pieces. SolStice Reb’L is a local band which features Richard Andre Love, Program Coordinator of Teens With a Purpose. They have recently participated in American Battle a national competition for bands. Local celebrity, music artist, model and fashion designer K’Bana Blaq also performed on the Main Stage at F.U.S.E.

The members of Teens With a Purpose are known for their unique approach to empowering young people to use their voice, talent and power for personal and social change. There were fun stations to compliment the workshops and edutainment. There was a face painting station, Graffiti Art & B-Boy station where a live mural of PEACE was created and youth learned how to spin turntables. Live art was also produced by local visual artist Jade Andwele captured the energy of the festival which will be available at the 2013 TWP Gala silent auction on November 1st. There was also a physical games and activity station, TWP Olympics, where youth were able to shoot hoops, hula-hoop and dance.

COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS: City of Norfolk Recreation, Parks & Open Space, GEICO, Garden of Hope, NSU, She’Matters, Boys & Girls Club, Buttarcup Paints, No Fine Printing Clothing, City of Norfolk Youth Council, Leggwork Photography, Leadership & Sales Academy

15 Poets Battle, 3 Move on to the Grand Slam

Saturday, May 11th was the last opportunity for youth poets to become a part of the 2013 Hampton Roads Youth Poets Slam Team and qualify to represent all of Hampton Roads during Brave New Voices 2013!  The Southside Qualifying Slam was hosted in collaboration Tidewater Community College, Roper Performing Arts Center on Granby Street in Downtown Norfolk.  The event started with a special message from Al Roker, board of Director Member of Teens With a Purpose. The Southside Qualifying Slam took the audience on a lyrical journey with 15 young poets all fighting to get heard. The competition was fierce and a tough job for the judges. The event was hosted by local artist Seven Pierces and TWP member DaVine Chavez. The event was also recorded by Cox Communications.

The Slam had three tough rounds with music by DJ Precise in between the bouts, as well as special performances by Caitlin Messer of the Governor's School of the Arts, group poetry piece by the Teens With a Purpose and Testimony and Maria from SoulStice Reb'L.

Deirdre A. Love, Executive Director said "This was a taste of heaven....the most powerful slam since we started having these events four years ago." Sylvantria "Boobie" Hawkins attended to scope out her competition and said "The Finals will be like Hunger Games."  Per Wikipedia, The Hunger Games is a 2008 science fiction novel by American writer Suzanne Collins. It is written in the voice of a 16-year-old , who lives in the post-apocalyptic, where the countries of North America once existed. The Capitol,a highly advanced metropolis, exercises political control over the rest of the nation. The Hunger Games are an annual event in which one boy and one girl aged 12-18 from each of the twelve districts surrounding the Capitol are selected by lottery to compete in a televised battle to the death. Of course, Hawkins was not referring to a physical death but the poets will bring their best to the stage and give the audience everything they have as if their lives depended upon it!

Pictures from the Slam can be viewed on the Teens With a Purpose Facebook page.

Ladies and gentlemen, please meet our finalists:

Emily "Em" Allison, Chesapeake

Matthew St. Clair, Hampton
Ayanna Florence, Chesapeake

Raevaughn "Rae of Hope" Johnson, Norfolk

Emeka "S.O.U.L" Onyirimba, Norfolk

Khayla "Cuyjet" Walker, Virginia Beach

ShaJhea Wilson, Norfolk

 

Alternates/4th placers will battle to determine which of them will be competing for the Alternate spot on the 2013 HRYP Slam Team will determine who will compete at the Grand Slam Finals.

 

Get your free tickets 

2013HRYPSlamFestival.eventbrite.com

 

Don't miss the Grand Slam Finals on June 1st 5-7pm

Norfolk State University, 700 Parks Ave, Norfolk, VA

There will be a free college tour 4-5pm

Brave New Voices is presented by Youth Speaks and is the largest international Youth Poetry Festival in the world.

Trailer to Brave New Voices

 

Find out More about Brave New Voices 

at http://youthspeaks.org/bravenewvoices/

New Poets Move Forward at the Peninsula Qualifying Slam

 
On Saturday April 20th, 2013 the HYRP held its Peninsula Qualifying Slam at the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center in Newport News. Seven poets between the ages of 13-19 competed in three rounds until three poets were left standing. The evening began with a few inspiring words by TWP's Executive Director Deidre Love followed by the "Sacrificial Lamb" Jared Frazier's poetry performance. As the "Sacrificial Lamb", Frazier performed prior to the slam poets in order to warm up the audience and judges, and generate excitement in the room. The judges' panel of five was filled by a highly qualified and impressive mix of authors, poets, speakers, and musical artists.
 

Quayshaun Moore and GodChild The Omen, Hosts

Each poet was given three minutes to perform, with the judges scoring each reading and dropping the poets with the lowest scores. In the first round all seven competing poets performed. Topics ranged from familiar problems to American society. Ashaunti Horton (13) the youngest poet to perform delivered a piece on the avoidance of becoming a statistic. Unfortunately, she did not continue, but her execution was great and her message inspiring. After the first round two poets were eliminated.


Nathanial Lovell

After the first round, HYRP Slam Coach Nathanial Lovell recited a piece that had audience members crying out in agreement and standing out of their chairs. Lovell's message was about women knowing their worth and not allowing others to take them for granted. The second round proceeded with the remaining five poets competing to move into the final round. Emeka "S.o.u.l" Onyirimba's (19) dark yet beautiful performance was welcomed by a large round of applause, and admittance into the final round of the slam. Slam poet Jaida Everett (15) gave a powerful message on always having passion even when the world gives us false hope. Although she did not progress to the final round, Everett plans on competing at the next qualifying slam on May 11th.

Emeka 'S.O.U.L' Onyirimba, 2nd Place

Matthew 'Levi' St. Clair, 1st Place

In the final round Jeanette Lam (16) was the last slam poet to be eliminated. Although she stumbled during the first round her positive attitude propelled her into the second and final round. The Peninsula Qualifying Slam was Lam's first recital at a HYRP event, and she did such a great job. Her positive themes of never giving up and always pushing forward made for an endearing three rounds. Lam says she will probably attend the next qualifying slam. The stand out moment of Saturday evening's event was Matthew "Levi" St. Clair's final round recitation. St. Clair spoke of his disability and how he beat the medical and social odds in his community. A proud college student St. Clair has never viewed his medical condition as a disability and he ended his poem with "Impossibility is an impossibility." His final words brought the audience to its feet with everyone chanting "Levi, Levi Levi!" Needless to say St. Clair was one of our qualifiers for the night.


Here's to hoping that we see Jeanette Lam, Jaida Everett, and our other competing poets at our next event on May 11th at the Norfolk Qualifying Slam at the TCC The Roper Performing Arts Center! And congratulations to Emeka "S.O.U.L.", and Matthew "Levi" for moving on to the Grand Slam.

Great job guys, and good luck!

- Danielle Ruiz

Photos courtesy of Em-Agery Photography

Listen 2 The Lyrics

Listen 2 The Lyrics, held April 4th, 2013, was the kick-start to a four part series titled 'I am Hear" that celebrates Youth & Poetry Month. TWP is collaborating with Norfolk Recreation Parks & Open Space to present this four part community events that celebrate the power of words and really HEARING what they mean.

  

The first part of the series tackled Hip-Hop. Through Listen 2 The Lyrics, youth were empowered to be active listeners. They participated in a cool listening session which put local rappers on the hot seat, across from them were three young listeners that carefully pulled apart the lyrics of the selected song. Grace Wiggins of Listen 2 The Lyrics, facilitated an open forum where young listeners, attentively and actively listened to artists Double XL, Brandeesh and Focus songs and clearly analyzed the lyrics through questions.

 

The evening started with a concert by Teens With a Purpose members which was open to the community, young people performed their own positive and original music. Listen 2 the Lyrics is based out of Baltimore and uses hip-hop as a tool to develop positive attitudes towards education through critical thinking and problem solving skills in order to increase high school graduation rates of at risk male students and to create  positive self image among them. Youth will work together to learn how to make a conscious effort to effectively listen to music of their choice, in order to give serious consideration of how it relates to their lives.

 

Special thanks to: Art Thatcher of Norfolk Recreation Parks & Open Space (NRPOS), Grace Wiggins of Listen 2 The Lyrics, DJ Kira and of course the brave artists: Brandeesh, Double XL and Focus
 

 

 

Hampton Roads Hear the Future Now! 2013 HRYP Slam Fest Sweeps the Region

Hear the future as young spoken word artists  take the stage this spring. The 2013 HRYP Slam Festival joins young writers, emcees, spoken word artists & performers from the Hampton Roads area.
 
Through qualifying slams and a grand final slam, poets compete for the chance to join the HRYP Slam Team the elite group of the Hampton Roads Youth Poets that represent and compete at various Slam's throughout the country. It also makes them eligible for a chance to represent at Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival in Chicago this summer. 
 

Brave New Voices, as seen on HBO, is committed to building safe spaces that challenge young people to develop and present the power of their voices. Carla Crane wrote: 'Besides offering young people the chance for true transformation, it excels at community building, mentoring, and improving literacy and communication skills'

Teens With a Purpose is proud to be a part of a network that reflects our values and mirrors our mission. 

 

The 2013 HRYP Slam Festival kicked off at the First Qualifying Slam on March 30th at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Arts. Rhonda Arrington, Face of Fox 43 hosted the event alongside Quayshaun Moore, a youth leader of Teens With a Purpose. Sylvantria Hawkins, Emme Rose and Khayla Walker will be moving on to the Grand Slam in June.

 



Sylvantria 'Boobie' Hawkins, 1st Place



Emily 'Em' Allison, 2nd Place





Khayla 'Cuyjet' Walker, 3rd Place

 

Emeka "S.o.u.l' Onyirimba

 

Nicole 'Sageflo' Peeples

 

Richard 'Testimony' Love

 

Rhonda Arrington, Face of Fox 43
& Deirdre Love, Executive Director of Teens With a Purpose

 

Nathanial 'Rasahn' Lovell, HRYP Coach

 

 2013 HRYP SLAM FESTIVAL SCHEDULE:

 

PENINSULA QUALIFYING SLAM

Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center, April 20th, 5-7p


SOUTHSIDE QUALIFYING SLAM 
TCC Roper Performing Arts Center, May 11th, 5-7p

GRAND SLAM!
NSU Student Center Theatre, June 1st, 5-7p

      

Youth ages 13-19 can register online at

TWPTheMovement.org or by completing the 2013
HRYP Slam Festival Registration Form.

 

Order a free 2013 HRYP Slam Festival Poster & Flyer Bundle for your organization or school by emailing, Michelle Sims twpmichelle@gmail.com.

 

Download the official press release here.

 GET YOUR FREE ONLINE TICKETS! 2013HRYPSLAMFestival.eventbrite.com