Teens

World On the Move Poetry and Storytelling Presentation

Mar 13, 2025

Free

🆓

Byline

Tobe Sevush, Programming Coordinator, New Rochelle (N.Y.) Public Library

New Rochelle Council on the Arts Youth Advisory Board presented a curated evening of poetry and storytelling from local teens (ages 13-18) to celebrate the closing of the traveling exhibition “World on the Move: 250,000 Years of Migration.”

Drawing from their understanding and personal experiences of migration, these young voices offered powerful perspectives on the challenges and hopes connected to the journey of migration in 2024. Read the poems here.

Advanced Planning

I met with teens on the board of the New Rochelle Council on the Arts about presenting a poetry slam to close out our "World On the Move" exhibit. They had performed here once before and were wonderful. We spoke about a year before the event to start the planning process. The event's timing was our only challenge, as it was based on when the exhibit was in our library, which fell during the Christmas/New Year's break.

Marketing

We began promoting the event six weeks before the performance. Unfortunately, the timing was not ideal, as it was just after the New Year, and school was only back in session for two days after the holiday break.

Budgeting

There was no cost for this event.

Day-of-event Activity

We had a technical run-through the afternoon of the event, and I was the only staff member there that evening.

Program Execution

The event was introduced by the two teens on the advisory board of NRCA. They introduced the former president of the American Anthropological Association, who explained how the exhibit was conceived. She then introduced the first poet. We had a total of six pieces performed that night, and it was wonderful. Unfortunately, we had very small attendance due to the timing of the event being so close to the school break.

Advice

Make sure this event is scheduled at a better time of year. If working with teens, it is best to do this when it isn't near any exams or school breaks.