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Nadia Barnard, 16

June 1, 2020 /

Often society overlooks youth and this is taking us more seriously.

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Her Skirt (a trio of vignettes) By Rena Kim, 17,

Her Skirt (a trio of vignettes)

By Rena Kim, 17, California

A bit of pink. A bit of tulle. A bit of floof. I grab the fabric as it poofs up from the yellow cover of the bouncy bed. The flower lamp shines more yellow and fills the room with pretty light. Walking across my room I spot another suspiciously familiar mirroring my expressions. Round eyes full of excitement and curiosity. I watch her step into my tutu. It’s itchy. But pretty.

--

Read this full piece and its inspiration at youthbeheard.org (link in bio).

Photo by Hayffield L

#YouthBeHeard #youthvoice #writing #writingcommunity #fashion #prose #Feminist

Sunlight and Trees By: Ray Wieland, 17, WI Birds

Sunlight and Trees

By: Ray Wieland, 17, WI

Birds and I sing together,

I dance with grass – I climb the trees--

Read this full piece and its inspiration at youthbeheard.org (link in bio).

#YouthBeHeard #YouthVoice #writing #poetrycommunity #writingcommunity #nature #childhood #midwest #imagination #poetry
#sijopoetry

📣 Calling all youth poets: celebrate National P

📣 Calling all youth poets: celebrate National Poetry Month this year with a virtual open mic night hosted by Youth Be Heard! Creators aged 13-22 are invited to perform (first-timers are welcome!) or watch. This year's theme: INSPIRARE! Drawing inspiration from the word itself, we invite young poets to consider what has sparked their creativity.

Use the QR code below to complete your registration for our Poets Be Heard event on Wednesday, April 24th at 8 PM EST. Once you're registered, a link to the event will be shared with you prior to the event.

The Flip Side By Anonymous, 16, Illinois If only

The Flip Side

By Anonymous, 16, Illinois

If only you saw the flip side

The other side of the me that you see.

The other person I like to hide

The side that is uneasy.

You’d suffocate under my anxiety

If I were to let you know.

I mask it under a smile, sweet and happy

But truthfully it just grows.

—

Read this full piece and its inspiration at youthbeheard.org (link in bio).

Photo by Blake Carpenter

#youthbeheard #youthvoice #writing #writingcommunity #poetry #poetrycommunity #anxiety #depression #mentalhealth

Study For My Dream By Iris Esteban, Wisconsin Mo

Study For My Dream

By Iris Esteban, Wisconsin

Morpheus always shows me the same thing when I go with him.

Just a window.

But each time my perception of it changes.

The window has a frame fighting against time and yellowness.

The window is trapped in a pattern made with grills.

The window is flanked by dead blue curtains.

One day something changes; a woman comes to light...

—

Read this full poem at youthbeheard.org (link in bio).

#ybh #ekphrastic #ekphrasticpoetry #youthbehead #poetry #poetrycommunity #writing #writingcommunity #youngpoets #art #dreams

Photo by Ed Vázquez
@edkills

At Ease Clothing and Confidence: Redefining Beaut

At Ease

Clothing and Confidence: Redefining Beauty through Fashion

By Abigail Zajac, Missouri

Society has consistently sent women subliminal messaging that fitting into the “ideal” body image makes women more desirable, which increases their chances of success in some way. For women, this is almost a cultural survival instinct. The mother in us all wants our daughters to be safe, protected, and with a mate. This instinct might be what draws mothers to portion-control their daughter’s meals or establish a rigorous exercise routine, not health, but natural selection. Yet, we do not need this anymore, right? As a society, haven’t we surpassed starving ourselves to seem desirable? I know I have, but I was raised with love for myself.

Each time I went shopping with my mother. She would inevitably be sitting in the waiting room as I tried on an array of outlandish outfits. I would come out and ask, “How do I look?” Without fail, she would smile and ask “How do you feel?” If I answered with “I don’t know.” She would reply, “Well, are you comfortable? Do you feel confident?” And if the answer was no, the clothing would be put back on the rack because there was no need to spend money on something that would make me feel bad about myself.

—

Read this full piece and its inspiration at youthbeheard.org (link in bio).

X: @abigailzajac

#bodyimage #fashion #confidence #bodypositive #women #youthvoice #writing #writingcommunity #fashionindustry

Read this full poem and its inspiration at youthbe

Read this full poem and its inspiration at youthbeheard.org (link in bio).

Instagram: @bridgittethao

Photo by Zara Walker

#humanrights #activism #poetry #poetrycommunity #israelpalestinewar

Collection of Sijo Poetry Sijo is a Korean tradit

Collection of Sijo Poetry

Sijo is a Korean traditional form of poetry written in three lines, each with four groups of 1-5 syllables with a total of 14-16 syllables per line. To be considered a Sijo poem, there must be 44-46 syllables total in the poem. The last line must also include an unexpected twist.

We’ve assembled a collection of Sijo poems from a variety of young poets.

Visit youthbeheard.org (link in bio) to see the inspiration behind these pieces.

#poetry #poetrycommunity #sijo #youngpoets #sijopoetry

@katieweitner
@racheldruckrey

Demystifying networking in undergrad: a failure an

Demystifying networking in undergrad: a failure and a success

By Will Lieber, 21, Illinois

When I heard the term “networking” growing up, it conjured images of men in suits playing pool in a cigar smoke-filled back room of a dingy bar. Outside of family or friend insider information allowing me to dodge a potentially poor boss at a minimum wage job, I rarely needed to network for myself in professional contexts prior to college. Thus, when I arrived at university, green and wide-eyed, I had absolutely zero idea of how to “network,” though I repeatedly heard it was a critical part of advancement in college and subsequent career. I knew I needed to make connections with people that would ideally provide me with good opportunities, but I didn’t know where to start. I didn’t know how to make these fabled connections, and I definitely didn’t know how to use them. Was I supposed to just ask for things, and like a genie in a bottle, the wish would be mine?

—

Read this full opinion piece at youthbeheard.org (link in bio).

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez

#youthbeheard #youthvoices #perspective #college #relationships #networking #ybh #writing #writingcommunity

Metamorphosis By Bridgitte Thao, 18, Minnesota C

Metamorphosis

By Bridgitte Thao, 18, Minnesota

Can you hear the crisp pull of skin

peeling off my lips? My eyelids? My wrist?

Shedding is a common phenomenon,

if you’re a snake. If you’re a monarch.

I lose dermal layers to the wind,

rain, and earth—and yet I am none.

Cracking ‘til I’ve been stripped to bones.

To lonely veins. To odious ivory.

Is this what becomes of growing girls?

Of shooting stars? Of whole wide worlds?

—

Go to youthbeheard.org to see the inspiration behind this piece (link in bio).

@bridgittethao

Photo by Omar Amrat

#metamorphosis #change #changequotes #youthbeheard #ybh #youthvoice #youngpoets #poetry #poetrycommunity #writing #writingcommunity

Want to write more in 2024? Consider purchasing a

Want to write more in 2024? Consider purchasing a copy of Youth Be Heard’s new writing journal to inspire your creative journey. It is simple enough to not intimidate, yet deep enough to help you grow profoundly. This is meant for all ages and all profits go to further the mission of Youth Be Heard! Get a copy for yourself and your favorite writing friend to start a weekly writing habit in the new year! Link in bio.

Thank you to the following individuals for your contributions in creating this book:

Authors: @emmy_poo97 & @ckaufman98

Editor: @abigailzajac on Twitter

Cover design: @shannoncorgan

Cover editor: @tundra_time_

Proof reading: @bridgittethao @natcasey10 @sarawildhaber

Thank you everyone who contributed to this project- it was a big team effort!

#writer #writingcommunity #authors #inspiration #inspirationalquotes #journal #journaling #booklaunch

Planet 9 Records, Richmond By Quyen Nguyen, 18, V

Planet 9 Records, Richmond

By Quyen Nguyen, 18, Virginia

Medium: Sony A7II (mirrorless camera)

—

One of my favorite subjects to explore in my art, especially in photography, is human beings. I find such vulnerability, intimacy, and authenticity in candid photography where the subject of the photograph is unknowingly susceptible to the lens that is capturing their existence in a moment in time. Back in my hometown, the place that conjures such subjects is downtown Richmond. As a music listener and collector of vinyls, naturally, my favorite spot is a record shop, Planet 9, which is located on the bustling street of Carytown. The subjects in the photograph are a couple on a date. I find pleasure and satisfaction in the instances when I am able to capture and highlight such sentimental, day-to-day moments that people experience.

Instagram: @byqln

Check out this piece on youthbeheard.org (link in bio)

#art #photopraphy #youthbeheard #youthvoices #perspective #richmond #recordcollector #planet9records

Mississippi Yearning By Alexis Casner, 18, Minnes

Mississippi Yearning

By Alexis Casner, 18, Minnesota

you are a veiny thing

a gossamer serpent stretching its neck from stem to stern

perpendicular to the setting sun,

you run…

—

Read this full poem at youthbeheard.org (link in bio).

Instagram: @al.excalibur

#youthbeheard #mississippiriver #environment #poetry #poetrycommunity #writing #writingcommunity

The Hidden Cost of Time: Unmasking Time Poverty an

The Hidden Cost of Time: Unmasking Time Poverty and the Quest for Equality

By Mohamed El Madnaoui, 17, Morocco

As the days turned into weeks and I was nearing the end of my exams, I began to realize that the idea of “free time” never crossed my mind while working. My video games waiting to be played and my videos waiting to be watched were all ignored. It’s not that I had no free time – it’s that the work exhausted my mental fortitude, preventing me from doing anything fun or relaxing when I wasn’t working.

After I finished exams and my life returned to normal, I began thinking about whether other people around the world were also being stripped of their free time. To my surprise, I stumbled across an article that highlighted the struggles of people in other countries, who are absorbed by work, solely to provide the minimum for their families. People were battling for survival; the concept of “free time” did not exist in their world.

—

Read this full piece at youthbeheard.org (link in bio).

Instagram: @simoelmadnaoui

Photo by Luke Chesser

#mentalhealth #opinion #health #perspective #writing #youthvoice #timepoverty #time

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”
―E.E. Cummings

All youth deserve to have someone who believes in them. Youth Be Heard does and shows this through supporting youth initiatives and going through rounds of editing with youth as they develop and discover the power of their voices. Through providing youth with a safe and respected platform to share their work, adult mentorship, and the cultivation of their artistic spark, youth show increases psychologically, academically, and bring good to their communities. This is only possible because of generous people like you.

Join us this #GivingTuesday and support youth as they are equipped to bring their talents to inspire each other and the world.

Donate at: youthbeheard.org/submit

"I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn."
—Anne Frank

#givingtuesday #youthvoice

The Fault of the Moon By Bridgitte Thao, 18, Minn

The Fault of the Moon

By Bridgitte Thao, 18, Minnesota

Read this full poem at Youthbeheard.org (link in bio).

—
Inspiration:

In the spirit of Halloween and October, I thought I’d write about something that scares a majority of the general population: menstruation! As I’ve gotten older, it seems that larger swaths of society are normalizing conversations about menstrual sanitation and equity. However, within the realm of art, the topic of menstruation inspires much less fascination. Through this piece, I wanted to inject the subject of periods with a mysticism that we often associate with magical occurrences. Against the backdrop of the moon, periods cycle through menstruators like a phantom. They induce a state of mind that drives one mad. They create such tangible, immense pain, but the causes are never so clear-cut. What forces of the universe subject us to these monthly visits? What are the intentions of these forces? Such are the questions I hope to inspire through this piece that both scorns and deifies menstruation.

@theebridgitte

Photo by Sanni Sahil

#poetry #writing #poetrycommunity #menstruation #menstruationmatters #youthvoice

Synesthesia By Tierney Nevermann, 17, Wisconsin

Synesthesia

By Tierney Nevermann, 17, Wisconsin

Read this full poem at youthbeheard.org (link in bio).
—

Inspiration: I’m learning about synesthesia in my Creative Writing class. Synesthesia is when your brain routes sensory information through multiple unrelated senses, causing you to experience more than one sense simultaneously. When writing this poem, I thought about all of your senses’ reactions to a fire.

Photo by Christopher Burns

#poetry #youthvoice #writing #writingcommunity #synesthesia

HISD Open Door Policy (from the perspective of a s

HISD Open Door Policy (from the perspective of a student)

By Jordan Muscal, 16, Texas

Quickly drawing the attention of HSPVA (High School for the Performing and Visual Arts) students, all classroom doors are now mandated to be open during the school day. “What could possibly be the reason behind this?”
—
Read this full piece at youthbeheard.org (link in bio).

Photo by Redd F.

#highschool #houston #houstonindependentschooldistrict #writing #writingcommunity

I Miss You, Grandma By Iris Esteban, 16, Wisconsi

I Miss You, Grandma

By Iris Esteban, 16, Wisconsin

Read this piece at youthbeheard.org (link in bio).

—
Inspiration:

created the piece after asking myself “what’s something I can’t live without?” At first, I didn’t have any ideas but when I stopped thinking about material things and something that I had already lost it was clear what I had to write.

Photo by Ekaterina Shakharova

#youthbeheard #youthvoices #writing #family #grandma #writingcommunity

Double Double This This By Bridgitte Thao, 18, Mi

Double Double This This

By Bridgitte Thao, 18, Minnesota

Double mirrors and doorways—

Double keys and hard drives—

Twin combs and twin beds—

Twin rooms between twin homes—

Twice the space and sky—

Twice the longing and loss—

Dual hands holding mine—

Dual hearts tugging at my own.
—

See this piece at youthbeheard.org (link in bio).

Instagram: @theebridgitte

Photo by Михаил Секацкий

#youthbeheard #poetry #poetrycommunity #ybh #writing #youthvoices #college

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