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 Photo by Nadine Batya |
download Ya Heard Me:
Ya Heard Me, volume 1
Ya Heard Me, volume 2
Ya Heard Me, volume 3, print version
Ya Heard Me, volume 3, web version
Ya Heard Me, volume 4,
Girls' Issue, print version
Ya Heard Me, volume 4,
Girls' Issue, web version
Ya Heard Me, volume 5
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Ya Heard Me is a publication of young people’s original poems, stories, lyrics, drawings and other creative writings. The mission is to recognize, encourage and share the creative talents of youth who are currently incarcerated in Louisiana’s juvenile correctional facilities. Ya Heard Me provides support and encouragement for all incarcerated youth to express themselves through writing and art. Through this support and creative expression, youth will gain confidence that will allow them to grow and thrive in other ways.
We believe that the distribution of Ya Heard Me will help change public perception about incarcerated youth to one that recognizes their strengths and talents. This will promote changes in policy regarding delinquent youth and provide them greater opportunities upon their release. (This goal should not — and will not affect which youth writings are printed in Ya Heard Me.)
The inspiration for this project came after meeting a boy confined at the correctional facility in Tallulah. He was serving an exceptionally long sentence and during the time we knew him he began to deteriorate mentally and emotionally. He started having numerous fights and one very serious suicide attempt. During our meetings with him we found out that he enjoyed writing poetry. Project coordinator Shannon Wight encouraged him to share his work with her, and was able to have a couple of his poems published in a California magazine of creative writing of incarcerated youth. He began writing constantly and with the help and encouragement of some of the teachers at the facility he published his own "book" of poetry. His last six months at the facility were the best he had ever had, both behaviorally and emotionally. Shannon realized that other incarcerated youth might benefit from having this kind of creative outlet and recognition.
Ya Heard Me has published two issues to date, drawing on creative works gathered through contact with youth in juvenile prisons. The booklets are distributed to young people, both in and out of the system, and to the wider community as a way of informing people about youth’s talent and experiences. Ya Heard Me positively affects those who contribute writings and the larger community by providing a forum for recognizing the strengths and talents of incarcerated youth.
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