Youth Speaks is a multi-faceted, BIPOC-led organization that understands that the power, insight, creativity, and passion of young people can change the world. Founded in 1996 in San Francisco, Youth Speaks is the leading nonprofit presenter of Spoken Word performance, education, and youth development programs in the country. Presenters of local and national youth poetry slams, festivals, reading series, and more, Youth Speaks also offers a comprehensive slate of literary arts education programs during the school day, in the after-school hours, on weekends and evenings. All told, Youth Speaks provides free arts education to thousands of teens per year in the San Francisco Bay Area alone, and has helped create partner programs in over 60 cities across the United States