For 10 weeks, newcomer youth from four different language communities –  Arabic, Mandarin, Spanish, Tagalog –collaborated with artists and poet mentors to draw upon personal narratives and experiences, to express themselves through written and spoken poetry, in English and in their mother tongue. Addressing fundamental questions such as “Who Am I?” while acknowledging the cultural significance of their mother tongue, this collaborative project inspired participating youth to share their own stories, while building confidence in their storytelling abilities.

Using their poems as a base, participants developed video portraits that expanded the meaning of their writings.