December 21-29, 2014
Working on Teacher Training & Curriculum Development with the Word Warriors in Kathmandu, Nepal!
Earlier this year, Sarah’s poet friends The Word Warriors applied for and received a grant to create a two-year project called “Write to Speak” which will allow them to introduce spoken word poetry programming to six different regions in rural Nepal. In each area, they lay the groundwork to establish a youth-led artistic collective within the community. The project’s primary purpose is to work with marginalized groups who are traditionally suppressed including members of the LGBTQ community, people with physical disabilities, survivors of abuse, and people recovering from drug addiction. The project provides a medium and space for people, especially women, to speak out and be heard. This week, Sarah returned to Kathmandu to help the Word Warriors plan and facilitate their new project. They worked nonstop for nine days on teacher training and curriculum development and Sarah got to witness these young poets actively changing their world around them because they have fallen in love with an art form and believe in its potential and power. These young poets are fighting a lot of odds and a lot of demons, but it is poetry that is fueling the fire. Something that seems as simple as laying words side by side is helping someone else find what they are looking for. It is helping someone fall in love. It is helping someone heal. It is helping someone dream big enough to make changes in their community. What an honor to work alongside them and see how much they can do!