Today is the first day of the WordPlay Cincy Annual Fundraising Campaign. By now, we are all aware of the challenges facing the youth of Cincinnati. Poverty, defunded schools, racism, violence, lack of safe third spaces to hang out, criminalization, and much more. At the same time, the youth of our city are resilient, creative, and genius. Since 2012, we have had a front-row seat to watch Cincinnati teens excel above and beyond, achieving great success in all aspects of their lives— creatively, professionally, and personally. WordPlay Cincy is a special place that elevates teen voices as they employ poetry, creative writing, hip hop, spoken word, and visual and performing arts to tell their stories and grow as artists, individuals, and leaders. WordPlay Cincy is a safe third space for teens to gather and create, and we are trusted adults who meet students where they are in the schools, rec centers, and libraries. We’re raising money to Write the Future with and for youth in the greater Cincinnati area. Will you join us in celebrating and elevating youth voices by donating to WordPlay Cincy? https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=V9CFZEHAXBAPL We’ve set up this campaign with a goal of $55,000. With your help, WordPlay Cincy can reach this goal and continue to thrive while doing grassroots work to uplift Cincinnati youth through creative exploration and storytelling. Please help if you can. Every donation makes a difference. With your help, we can Write the Future with and for Cincinnati's youth! Donating is easy, click here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=V9CFZEHAXBAPL (fb)

Next Week at WordPlay Cincy! Join the Cincinnati Youth Poet Laureate, Mia, for the Spill Good Ink Writing Workshop! When: Wednesday, October 1 Time: 4 pm - 6pm Where: WordPlay Cincy 1556 Chase Ave ---------------- The Youth Poet Laureate is a national program and the Cincinnati chapter is hosted through WordPlay Cincy. This program is powered by the Tyrone Williams Fund and made possible by the generous donations from YOU. Please consider making a donation here: https://lnkd.in/gSHTPbMh -------------- About Tyrone Williams: Tyrone Williams was a distinguished poet and educator who dedicated his life to teaching, mentoring, and supporting writers of all ages. His career at Xavier University and extensive community involvement left a profound impact on the City of Cincinnati. His influence on contemporary poetry, literary criticism, and African American literature is celebrated with the dedication of the Cincinnati Youth Poet Laureate program in his honor. Donate at: https://lnkd.in/gSHTPbMh (fb)