Today's Message
Posted: Tuesday, April 25, 2023Open Invitation: Youth Voices Conference - May 4
The Center for English Teaching at Buffalo State University and the Buffalo State English Department present the seventh annual Youth Voices Conference, a celebration of the remarkable stories and talents of students from across our region, on Thursday, May 4, from 4:00 to 8:30 p.m. The conference is free and open to the public; registration is required.
Buffalo poet laureate Jillian Hanesworth will kick off the conference, which features a musical performance by Buffalo hip-hop artist Chuckie Campbell and an interactive art installation in collaboration with the Burchfield Penney Art Center.
The Youth Voices Conference, now in its seventh year, seeks to reclaim space for the voices of youth and their teachers, and to reposition classrooms as learning spaces of meaning, purpose, and power in the Buffalo Niagara and Rochester regions. Last year’s conference drew more than 500 students from large and small schools across Western New York to present their projects to authentic audiences.
Student presentations at the Youth Voices Conference have included short documentaries, spoken word poetry, podcasts, and TED Talks based on creative classroom projects. Past presentations have featured student work exploring childhood and families, popular music, Islamophobia, the impact of genocide, identity and immigration, race and gender, the environment, and religious beliefs among many others.
