The Word Poetry Slam takes two
October 19, 2015
Action Education and the South Auckland Poets Collective are holding an inter-high school Spoken Word poetry slam
competition for young people for the second year. The grand slam will be held on October 24 at Lower NZI room at the
Aotea Centre at 7pm.
Following the smashing success of first Word – the front line in 2014 the second year is set to be bigger.
It hasn’t been an easy battle, the competition started with 144 young people from 32 teams. After making it through the
gruelling semi-finals, six high schools made it through to share their stories in an explosion of youth expression.
It is the only creative battlefield of its kind, equipping young people with poetry prowess for an opportunity to battle
it out and confront the challenges that their generation faces.
"If you want to hear what's going on for the young people in our community, you need to get to this slam" (Audience
Member 2014)
The Spoken Word competition encourages young people to use spoken word poetry to express themselves and tell their own
stories.
It is the first Spoken Word poetry slam of its kind aimed at secondary high school students. The teams are made up of
4-6 young people per school and is the first time this year that New Zealand has seen team pieces in a poetry slam, this
means that over the night you will see solo performers, duets, trio’s etc, even up to six people performing at once
which makes for a very dynamic show for the audience.
Word is a poetry slam with a difference. Its purpose is to engage and grow the potential of young people.
The Word came out of the realisation that youth need to a space where they can feel heard, express their opinions, while
being supported in an environment that promotes personal growth.
Action Education is a non-for-profit organisation set up to engage and empower young people through creative and action
based methods.
South Auckland Poets Collective is a group of 10 storytellers with a passion for using Spoken Word to engage and inspire
youth.
Together we form a dynamic team of artists and mentors who care about the community and drawing out the leadership
potential of young people.
Tickets are a steal at $15 for adults and $10 for students.
Schools competing in the Grand Slam are Lynfield College, Selwyn College, McAuley High School, Glenfield College, Mount
Albert Grammar School, Papatoetoe High School.
ENDS