Greetings from Youth Speaks! We are excited to announce a reimagined version of our annual Unified Festival, the Unified: Verses and Vibes Showcase! Building off of the success of Youth Speaks’ year-round programs, this version of Unified is an exciting opportunity for Bay Area youth teams to perform and showcase original work outside of a competitive space. A select number of teams (up to 5) will represent schools and community sites from throughout San Francisco, Oakland, and the Greater Bay Area in this year’s Unified Showcase.
To be considered for this showcase, this application must be filled out by a young person on the team. Additionally, applicants must submit the 2 pieces they would like to perform at the showcase via video submission. Each piece should include at least 2 poets (no more than 5 poets per piece) and cannot exceed 4 minutes in length. Take into consideration the content, writing, and performance of the pieces you are submitting. While we are not scoring your application solely on your artistic contributions, we do want to reiterate that this is a performance opportunity-- we would like to feature dynamic pieces that will challenge audiences to reflect, dialogue, and process the themes you bring to the space.
We will be offering a prize of $500 per selected team to compensate young people for their art and the value they bring to Youth Speaks spaces. You may use these funds at your discretion. We are prioritizing BIPOC applicants as well as teams that come from Title I schools in an effort to create more equitable programming. This festival is all about allowing youth a space to showcase, perform, connect and spit their truth in community with other youth artists throughout the Bay Area.
This showcase will take place during our annual MC Olympics event on Friday May 24th from 6-9pm. Come through to spit, witness, and have a great time!Registration Link here: http://bit.ly/UnifiedVerses24