Campaign Details
"Poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity for our existence. It forms the quality of light from which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change, first into language, then into idea, then into more tangible action." Audre Lorde (1934-1992)
California Poets in the Schools' programs help students to feel more connected to themselves, to those around them, and to the world as a whole.
Please help us reach our fundraising goal of raising $60,000 by December 31st.
Never has it been so important to foster a sense of connection and belonging amongst our youth. Students today are dealing with extreme isolation brought on by a global pandemic, a massive racial reckoning in the Black Lives Matter movement and record-breaking, climate-change-induced wildfires forcing traumatic evacuations and blanketing the entire west coast in air too toxic to breathe. Mental health crises are on the rise, particularly amongst adolescents.
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are urging for unity so that our nation can roll up its sleeves and get to work on these critically important issues. In this pivotal moment, poetry is an essential tool that helps youth to contribute to the conversation, to grow compassion, to preserve mental health, and to imagine a different kind of future.
Poetry instruction, whether online or in person, cultivates human connection. The act of participating in a poetry class allows young people to feel immediately less isolated and can be a powerful step in helping to overcome loneliness.
Writing poetry also increases self and societal awareness, while cultivating ownership of one's unique voice, thoughts and ideas. Writing poetry allows young people to contribute to the larger community dialogue on social justice, climate change and other pressing issues of our time. Sharing poetry aloud with peers can create bridges that foster empathy and understanding.
In short, poetry creates a pathway to hope.
California Poets in the Schools' Poet-Teachers have pivoted almost entirely to online instruction. While the format has changed, the powerful nature of our work continues to resonate deeply with communities across the state.
Please consider a gift to California Poets in the Schools to help us reach over 20,000 youth in 2021.
California Poets in the Schools
About the Organization
California Poets in the Schools empowers students of all ages throughout California to express their creativity, imagination, and intellectual curiosity through writing, performing and publishing their own poetry. We train and coordinate a multicultural network of published poets, who bring their passion and craft to public and private schools, juvenile halls, hospitals, libraries and other community settings.
PO Box 1328
Santa Rosa, California 95402
UNITED STATES
EIN: 94-2977264
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