Detroit, MI — InsideOut Literary Arts, an award-winning organization headquartered in Detroit, announced the winners of its 2022 Performance Troupe supported by Toyota Motor North America. The Performance Troupe is part of the organization’s nationally-recognized Citywide Poets afterschool program, which provides teens with weekly creative writing workshops, publications and performance opportunities. For over two decades, InsideOut Literary Arts has reached nearly 70,000 students in schools throughout Metro Detroit and published 500 school literary journals.
High school students Milo Borsodi, Samer Budair, Stella Hughes, Efrain Rivera and Noelle Taylor rose to the top as the 2022 Youth Performance Troupe through a competitive submission process led by Citywide Poets Manager, Justin Rogers, along with guest judges from the literary arts community. The Performance Troupe is led by Coach La Shaun phoenix Moore, a Detroit-based vocalist, spoken word artist and culture creator.
InsideOut’s Performance Troupe is comprised of students in the Citywide Poets program who strive to further develop their skills in self-expression and performance, under the direct guidance and support of their coach and guest artists. These talented teens have opportunities to grow their craft, work with professional writers as mentors, perform to wide-reaching audiences, and become spokespeople for the power of youth voice.
“InsideOut is dedicated to creating opportunities for young people to share their unique and authentic voices,” said Suma Karaman Rosen, Executive Director, InsideOut Literary Arts. “We know that poetry and creative writing opportunities are powerful tools for developing essential communication skills and social emotional wellness. But they go beyond personal growth for the young people involved: all of us, as the greater community around these young artists, have much to learn from what they have to say.”
InsideOut students have gone on to be journalists, healthcare workers, entrepreneurs, and even Pulitzer Prize-winning playwrights. Reflecting on the impact of InsideOut’s programming, 94% of teachers surveyed said it improved student’s writing and critical thinking skills; 80% of InsideOut students demonstrated improved reading comprehension after taking part in the program; and 83% of InsideOut students said they applied what they learned about writing in other classes.
“We are deeply grateful to Toyota for supporting our Performance Troupe program, and for understanding the value of creative expression and the transformative power of the written and spoken word,” added Rosen. “This partnership showcases Toyota’s commitment empowering young people to learn, achieve and succeed.”
“Many people know Toyota as a car company, but we’re so much more than that,” said Alva Mason, group director, Multicultural Business Alliance and Strategy and Multicultural Dealer Development, Toyota Motor North America. “We are focused on educating today’s students to build tomorrow’s leaders. At Toyota, we believe that youth development during non-school hours is needed today more than ever, and it is vital for adolescents to learn 21st century leadership skills that support their academic, career and life goals.”
During the 2021 program year, InsideOut’s Performance Troupe members were Toyota’s featured guests at the Motor Bella Auto Show; they also performed at events with the Redford Theater, Taylor Teen, and Hannan Center, completed a chapbook or original poems, and created a video performance of a commissioned piece for the Youth Civil Rights Academy. In previous years, the Performance Troupe has collaborated in digital performances with a number of other organizations, including Teens in the D, Next World Collective (in Delaware), Michigan Center for Youth Justice, The Detroit Zoological Society, Interlochen Center for the Arts, End Prejudice, and The Charles H. Wright Museum. They are regularly invited to create a poem commemorating the messages of Martin Luther King, Jr. as part of Wayne State University’s annual MLK Tribute.
