In June, Literature Wales arranged for internationally acclaimed poet and playwright, Joelle Taylor, to lead a training workshop with Welsh poets and educators at Cardiff’s St David’s Hall. SLAMbassadors Cymru is a new project by Literature Wales in partnership with the Poetry Society, which will build upon the success of Slam Cymru.

SLAMbassadors UK is the Poetry Society’s spoken word education programme, which was set up 17 years ago to break silences within communities and focus on marginalised young people, giving them a voice. The SLAMbassadors national youth poetry slam championship, searches each year for the next generation of spoken word artists, rappers and MCs.

The workshop focused on the theme of ‘identity’ and there was reflection, laughter, and high emotion as poets themselves performed and learned how best to support young people, give them a voice and empower them with a sense of belonging. SLAMbassadors is designed to boost self-confidence, engage with at-risk youth, as well as improve communication and literacy skills.

Here’s what some of those who came in June said:

To find out more take a look at this Teachers’ Toolkit: tips for running slam poetry sessions or contact Louise at Literature Wales for more information. louise@literaturewales.org