Our Vision
A world in which young people are able to reach their highest potential because they are safe, heard and empowered to express themselves authentically.
Our mission
To provide safe spaces, programmes and opportunities that enable marginalised young
people to unlock their full potential.
We use poetry as a tool to give a voice to the voiceless; supporting young people's education, confidence, self esteem and mental wellbeing.
Our Values
Authenticity
We believe that in order for young people to fulfill their potential, they should feel comfortable in their own skin. So, we bring our own authentic selves and demonstrate that there is strength in being vulnerable and true to who you are.
integrity
We lead by example, encouraging an honest and open dialogue with the young people we support; in the hope that their futures will be built on strong moral principles.
The young people we work with are full of untapped potential. We feel it is our duty to do all we can to help them unlock it and we work to the highest standards to achieve this.
We provide safe spaces to bring people together from all walks of life; encouraging inclusivity, inter-generational connections and the sharing of perspectives.
The work we do with our young people can be deep and sometimes triggering. So we work with kindness and compassion, striving to bring light where there is darkness.
Give a voice to the voiceless
In society young people are often silenced and ridiculed for their views. We believe its critical that young people have a voice, so we create safe and friendly environments for young people to express themselves and feel valued in the community.
USE LIVED EXPERIENCE TO UNLOCK POTENTIAL
Our team comes with lived experience of being marginalised and we use this understanding to inform the way we work. Our approach makes mainstream education more engaging, helps to improve behaviour and equips young people with skills that will serve them throughout their lives.
IMPROVE MENTAL WELLBEING
We provide programmes to educate young people on mental health and support them with holistic methods such as writing poetry, to help them face their issues in a safe and non-judgemental environment.
WHAT WE DO
Our impacT
1,421 services provided
We've held 804 events and 617 workshops, a total of 1,421 services for young people since 2015.
40,000+young people reached
We have reached 40,000 + young people in the UK and worldwide through our services since 2015.
POETIC UNITY X TRANSPORT FOR LONDON
10 POETS, 5 TUBE STATIONS FOR WORLD POETRY DAY
Poetic Unity teamed up with Transport for London (TfL) to give a platform to 10 young poets for World Poetry Day (21st March 2024.) Poets from Poetic Unity wrote poems on the theme of community, which were projected from sound systems at Brixton and Stockwell tube stations over the weekend.
One of the young poets, Selorm Adonu, 21, from Croydon, said: “Community is important to me because it’s where you learn different perspectives. Everything from uncle at the barber shop or going to the hairdressers with my mum – it’s the same sort of lessons you learn in the home.”
As part of the project, the young peoples poems were also printed on to posters which were put up around London Bridge, Waterloo, Victoria, Brixton and Stockwell tube stations. “We are honoured we got to celebrate world poetry day by platforming some of our amazing young people’s poetry,” said Ryan J. Matthews-Robinson, Founder and CEO of Poetic Unity.
Community is a key value of ours and something that is integral to a functioning society. We are constantly looking at ways of platforming young voices and giving young people opportunities to be seen and heard, which is why it was amazing that thousands of people got to read our young people's poetry. Thank you to TfL and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation for the support.”
Watch the video above to check out the full World Poetry Day activities including the poets performing their poems and sharing their views on community. Read more details about the campaign here.
CLEAN AIR FOR THE ENDS CAMPAIGN
SOUTH LONDON MAKES NOISE FOR CLEAN AIR
Brixton based charity Poetic Unity who support thousands of young Black and marginalised people every year through poetry have been raising awareness about air pollution for the last two years in collaboration with Live + Breathe. A recent study has shown that Black residents are being exposed to more levels of illegal air pollution than any other ethnic group in some of the UK’s major cities which highlights the racial injustice when it comes to air quality.
Poetic Unity’s new campaign ‘Clean Air For The Ends’ promotes alternative travel such as riding bikes and roller skating for young Black and marginalised people from the ends. Lambeth and Southwark have some of the worst air pollution levels in London so Poetic Unity invited a group of young people to an activation in Brixton and Peckham on June 2nd 2024 to raise awareness about this issue through poetry and to celebrate the power of community.
Talented young poet Blaize Alexis-Anglin wrote a poem for this campaign highlighting how the younger generation feel about air pollution, the importance of looking at this as a collective issue and coming together to make a difference for our futures. You can watch the poem in full below:
This campaign has been kindly supported by Forest Bikes who donated 100 free bikes for the day for our activation, Cano Water who gave 120 cans of free water and Aromatherapy Associates London who contributed free boxes of muscle gel. To find out more about Clean Air For The Ends or to support this campaign click here.
