Urban Word NYC

Urban Word NYC champions the voices of New York City youth ages 13-19 by providing platforms for critical literacy, youth development and leadership through free and uncensored writing, college preparation and performance opportunities. We are the founder and curator of the National Youth Poet Laureate program, with YPL Programs based in over 50 cities across the country. We also have a dynamic roster of teaching artists (called Mentors) who facilitate writing and performance workshops in classrooms, community centers, and various other spaces throughout the New York City area.

Founded on the belief that teenagers can and must speak for themselves, Urban Word NYC™ (UW) has been at the forefront of the youth spoken word, poetry and hip-hop movements in New York City since 1999. UW works directly with 25,000 teens per year in New York City alone, and UW also has a vigorous community educator and teacher training series which links inquiry-based classroom practices with the most progressive academic trends in student-centered, culturally responsive, healing arts-based pedagogy. For more information, visit www.urbanword.org