The NYC Campaign Finance Board is pleased to announce that the application period for the 2014 Youth Poet Laureate program is now open. The competition highlighting the importance of voting is open to all young artists, emcees and writers between the ages of 16 and 19 living in New York City.
The application deadline is October 10, 2014, which is also the deadline to register to vote to be eligible to cast a ballot in the 2014 general election on November 4.
The CFB, which sponsors the program through its NYC Votes campaign, is proud to be partnering with Urban Word and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts for the sixth installment of this important and exciting competition. The YPL program promotes civic engagement through creative self-expression.
The winning poet will be crowned the New York City Youth Poet Laureate for 2015. He or she will work with NYC Votes to reach young voters across the five boroughs by performing at public events, in schools and in other venues. The winner will also receive a deal to publish a book of poetry.
Ramya Ramana, the 2014 NYC Youth Poet Laureate, was invited by Mayor Bill de Blasio to perform at his inauguration ceremony in front of a world-wide audience.
“The YPL program gives youth leaders a microphone to speak directly to our peers about the importance of political participation,” said Ramya Ramana. “I am grateful for the insight I’ve been given as the Youth Poet Laureate into the true power of the youth vote, and the importance of being present in a world that often tries to overlook us.”
“With only 11% of NYC youth participating in last year’s elections, programs like YPL have a crucial role to play in building a culture of voting in our communities,” said Chyann Sapp, youth voter coordinator at the CFB. “In challenging young adults to think critically about their government and their own civic responsibility, YPL helps young New Yorkers become life-long voters.”
YPL is a voting-themed program designed to energize young voters through spoken word poetry. Over its five-year history, the YPL program has delivered a positive voting message to tens of thousands of young New Yorkers through performances, speeches, voter registration drives, and neighborhood outreach.
NYC Votes is the nonpartisan voter engagement campaign of the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) and its Voter Assistance Advisory Committee (VAAC). In addition to promoting voter registration, participation, and civic engagement in New York City through its many programs and partnerships, NYC Votes sponsors the city’s official Debate Program and produces the citywide Voter Guide.