Youth Speaks offers four levels of residencies for high schools and middle schools. These standards-based residences are facilitated by trained Youth Speaks Poet-Mentors, who partner with teachers to bring high level creative writing and performance poetry workshops to the classroom. Curricula is often developed in partnership with classroom teachers, and is geared to help students bring their own personal narratives into dialogue with the issues and themes already being studied in the classroom.
Life as Primary Text: A key component of the Youth Speaks pedagogy is the idea that the life of the students serves as the primary text for our introductory writing workshops. In this way, we work to draw out the stories of the students before engaging in the secondary texts begin studied. We have found that as students find their voices and begin to understand their own take on writing and performance, that they are then better able to engage with the writing and style of others.
Youth Speaks School Residencies are available during the school day and in the after-school hours
>> On-Campus After-School Workshops
This year, Youth Speaks is offering workshops designed specifically for middle and high school campuses. These workshops, which are designed both to enhance the academic day and to push artistic creativity, run 90 minutes, one day a week for ten weeks.
The School Residencies come in four distinct “chapters”
>> Chapter ONE
(35-50 hours)* (10 weeks, in-class + club + after-school)
> Poet-Mentor-in-Residence
> 1 school visit (assembly featuring Youth Speaks and one-time workshop)
> 1 final presentation featuring residency students (performance, publication, etc).
> 15- 30* classroom hours of Youth Speaks instruction
> 1 school club** (5 hours of leadership development, school club meetings)
> 1 School-Wide After School Workshop (90-minute workshops, 10 weeks)
> Representation and participation in the Unified School District High > School Poetry Slam (Fall and Winter Semesters only)
**The school club is a group of self selected youth at each host school who are interested in participating in after school workshops and organizing a project at their school, part of the Student Led Arts Movement (S.L.A.M.) initiative. The Poet-Mentor, along with a teacher advisor at the school, engage the students in leadership development so that the club continues after the residency.
All Chapter ONE host teachers are provided with subsidized tickets to bring students to one Youth Speaks event during the year, and are asked to support the school club and After-School Workshop on their campus.
*Direct service hours may vary depending on individual school schedule.
>> Chapter Two
(20-35 hours)* (10 weeks, in-class + school club)
> Poet-Mentor-in-Residence
> 1 school visit
> 1 final presentation featuring residency students
> 20 classroom hours of Youth Speaks instruction
> 1 school club
> Representation and participation in the Unified School District High School Poetry Slam (Fall and Winter Semesters only)
All Chapter Two host teachers are provided with subsidized tickets to bring students to one Youth Speaks event during the year, and are asked to support the school club on their campus.
*Direct service hours may vary depending on individual school schedule.
>> Chapter Three
(20 hours) (10 Weeks, after-school + school club)
> Poet-Mentor-in-Residence
> 1 school–wide assembly
> 1 school club
> 1 school-wide after-school workshop (90-minute workshops, 10 weeks)
> Representation and participation in the Unified School District High School Poetry Slam (Fall and Winter Semesters only)
All Chapter Three host teachers are provided with subsidized tickets to bring students to one Youth Speaks event during the year, and are asked to support the school club and After-School Workshop on their school’s campus.
>> Chapter Four
(5 hours) (middle schools) (5 weeks, in-class ONLY)
> Poet-Mentor-in-Residence
> 1 school visit
> 4 classroom workshops (over 4 weeks)
> 1 school performance featuring students
This program, specifically designed for middle schools, helps introduce students to the power of poetry and spoken word. All Chapter Four host teachers are provided with subsidized tickets to bring students to one Youth Speaks event during the year.
Request a Youth Speaks Residency in your school.
Please contact Michelle Lee at
mlee@youthspeaks.org, (415) 255-9035×15.