Come meet our CT National Youth Poetry Slam Team 2010, l-r: Trey Vaz, Willimantic; Evan Knoll, Middletown; Sheena Keeney, Bridgeport; Prisha Gholston, Bridgeport; Benifit, Willimantic; and Dylan Arcelli, Rockville.
ANNOUNCEMENT FROM ELIZABETH THOMAS:
They are raising funds for a trip to Brave New Voices in LA this summer where they will compete and collaborate with other national and international teams. These young poets have chosen to use their poetry and spoken words to make personal and social change in today’s society.
We’d love to see you there (but if you’re busy, you can still support the team by purchasing a ticket to be there in spirit)!
The CT Team
BBQ Lunch Fundraiser
The CT National Youth Slam Poetry Team 2010
Rockville Moose Lodge Pavilion
31 Kingsbury Ave, Tolland, CT
June 19, 2010 at 2:00
Tickets are $12 in advance per person / $15 at the door
An Afternoon of Entertainment, Food and Raffles. For ticket purchases or questions, please contact Tracey Arcelli at 860-872-0399 or email Elizabeth Thomas at upwordspoetry@earthlink.net.
This is the CT team’s 13th year. Brave New Voices (though it wasn’t called that at the time) started in Hartford in 1998 with 5 teams (CT, NYC, Washington DC, Worcester and the Navajo Nation from New Mexico).
We have grown to more than 50 teams from around the country and a few from other countries.
BNV offers the voiceless, a voice.
BNV changes lives and changes the direction of lives. It creates an inclusive / supportive / respectful (and let’s not forget, talented) community of young people who will ultimately develop life-long friendships and relationships with a diverse humanity (they might not have an opportunity to meet through their typical pursuits).
CT is the only team that includes poets from all over the state (rather than 1 area of the state) and we do so without a sponsor. Most other teams have a local non-profit sponsor (if someone wanted to make a large donation J and take it as a charitable donation, we could use ‘Youth Speaks’ as our non-profit umbrella) and this is very helpful when fundraising.
The CT team must raise all their travel expenses and we have done so each year (individual team members have never been asked to pay for their own tickets or help with the registration costs). Our desire is to bring all 6 poets (and 2 coach/chaperones) and we have done so each year. Through the support and love of the community, of friends, of coaches, of family and the dedication each year of the team, we seem to make it. Just barely sometimes.
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