Crystal Valentine Begins Her Journey as NYC's 2015 Youth Poet Laureate

By: Crystal Valentine

I am thrilled to have been given the title of NYC Youth Poet Laureate! To be honest, the full extent of the title and position has not yet completely sunk in, but I’m sure that it will come in the next few weeks. I’ve always valued my community because I believe that I am a product of my environment. The Bronx raised me and taught me most of what I know. My neighbors, the school crossing guards, the bodega owners all taught me about social interactions. However, I had not yet learned what it meant to work together as a community.

Granted, I was only a child, but the other adults and youth in my community also did not know how to help one another. They did not know that voting could help them and work to their advantage. By voicing their opinions at community gatherings about whether a residential building should be torn down or renovated into a coffee shop, the people in my community can help their friends and neighbors keep their homes.

I hope to educate the youth on these seemingly “small matters” which snowball into bigger problems. I want them to be aware of what’s going on in their community. I want the youth not only to vote, but I also want the community and all of New York City to actively listen to what the youth have to say. I often hear adults criticizing the younger generation and this makes me extremely sad. I want my fellow adolescents and young adults to put their best foot forward and show everyone the greatness that they are capable of.

I believe that the best way to encourage the youth to vote is to let them know that we see them and that they are heard; they will see how much of a difference they can make once they learn the importance of their voice, opinions and votes.

Crystal Valentine is a native of the Bronx and student at NYU. In October, she won the NYC Votes citywide Youth Poet Laureate program, a voting themed, spoken word competition. As the reigning 2015 Youth Poet Laureate, Crystal will use her voice and her talent to rally young New Yorkers around voting and civic engagement.