Breaking Silence and Amplifying Voices: Youths Writing and Performing Their Worlds

The author explores the experiences of adolescent youths (ages 13-21) through their participation in the Youth Writing Collective (YWC), a free creative writing program sponsored by the local university. For one week, youths attended YWC workshops, where they were invited to write, share, and perform stories from their lived realities. Situated in Arizona, a state with mandated English-only polices and restrictive curricula, this study highlights the possibilities that exist when we create spaces with and for youths to utilize writing and performing as a tool to break silence and amplify voices while examining and challenging their worlds. In addition, the author highlights how participation in the YWC supported youths in raising their collective awareness of issues present in their lives while fighting to create their place in the world.