Children in London find power in their voice with acclaimed spoken-word artists and poets

Children in London are to discover new means of expression through a dynamic British Council project, Power in the Voice.  Learning through a series of workshops beginning this month with spoken-word artists and poets, the pupils will have the opportunity to compete in a live performance-poetry, rap and storytelling grand-final in February 2008 and win a visit to Africa.

School pupils across London will learn how to devise, craft, edit and perform poetry, mentored in a workshop every month by renowned spoken word-artists, including Charlie Dark, Roger Robinson and Zena Edwards. In February 2008 nine schools will compete in a spoken-word competition which will be judged by a panel of experts and critics including Radio 1 DJ Nihal. The prize is an exciting opportunity for the winners to attend the Power in the Voice regional festival in Botswana alongside their mentor in August 2008, and be able to perform with young people from countries across southern Africa, where the British Council's Power in the Voice is already proving to be a huge success.

In partnership with Eastside Educational Trust, workshops will start this November. Sangeeta Sharma, a participating teacher from Swanlea School in Tower Hamlets, said:

'Swanlea is excited to be a part of such an interesting project. Helping students develop these skills and self-expression is important and this is a great way of enabling students to do so in a creative way'.

A major three-year project from the British Council, Power in the Voice is designed to celebrate young people finding their voice and expressing themselves through poetry, storytelling and rap. It draws on the UK's artistic creativity and updates the perception of the UK within the emerging generations of Africa. The project was launched in Mozambique in 2005 and has since involved over 3,300 schoolchildren and reached more than 25 million people across those countries involved.

The Rt Hon Lord Kinnock, Chair of the British Council, said: 'Power in the Voice empowers young people in Africa and the UK by giving them opportunities to creatively express themselves through the power of the spoken word. The opportunity to visit Africa in 2008 and build relationships with young people across the continent will be unforgettable, but involvement in Power in the Voice is in any case a great experience for everyone involved.'

For press enquires, futher information, photographs or interviews, please see the complete press release.

http://powerinthevoice.britishcouncil.org/usr/downloads/misc/1107pitv-pr-national.pdf