The World in Me is a compilation of original poetry written by young people ages 8 – 17 who stayed with their families in housing at Solid Ground’s Broadview Emergency Shelter & Transitional Housing for women and children. 

Over the past few months, with the help of Broadview Children’s Advocates and the Pongo Poetry Project, they found their voices. They have laughed, cried and bonded over shared experiences while bravely speaking their truth. In this chapbook, they courageously shared how they make sense of their world amidst the confusion, trauma and instability they’ve experienced, and in turn created language for their pain and perseverance.

In the words of one young poet, “This writing experience has really shown me who I truly am!” Oftentimes in our society, we don’t listen to kids or value what they have to say, but we have so much to learn from them. Thank you to all the writing mentors, the support from Pongo Poetry Project, and to all of the young people who shared their stories.

Over the next several months, we’ll share individual poems from The World in Me on our blog. You can also view the entire chapbook on our Publications webpage.

Note: The young authors who contributed to The World in Me are not identified by their real names, and some details have been changed to protect the privacy and confidentiality of them and their families. The authors retain copyrights on their individual works.