Family, friends and community members of Grassy Park High School braved the cold on Wednesday, 25 June 2025, to attend the YOH Poetry Reading, an uplifting afternoon filled with emotion, reflection and imagination.
The YOH project, one aimed at empowering youth through the medium of poetry, is an initiative co-founded in 2018 by the Jakes Gerwel Foundation and Dr Therésa Hulme, a writer and psychologist, and spearheaded by Marcia Woolward, a retired educator and former principal of this school where the late Jakes Gerwel was also based. Participating poets of the day were school learners, Grades 9 to 12, whose performances reflected narratives of grief, identity, personal and relationship introspection. The event was led by programme director, Logan Napoleon, a Grade 9 Grassy Park High School learner, and audiences were invited to engage in discussion with the poets during a Q&A session. A spirit of safety and support at the event enabled the poets to deliver their best performances, with the poets’ parents and loved ones who were also present.
In her 18-month journey facilitating these poets, Marcia mirrored the intention of the program by writing and sharing her own poetry. “It was important that they see me as a fellow poet, not a teacher or principal,” Marcia says. “We ran with the idea that every learner can write poetry, every story is unique, and every poem has a purpose. There’s no one poet who writes better than the other. We celebrate their unique style, and we deal with the truth of their feelings. What the project has done for the poets is evident in their poetry.”
Audiences shared positive feedback on the poetry readings and their overall experience of the day. “I was moved by how the poets stood alongside the main performer while the performance was delivered, holding them and providing support in a kind and loving way,” said Dr Therésa Hulme. “There was no competition amongst them, only a spirit of equality. A testimony to Ms. Woolward and the slogan of the school: ‘advance our standards’.”
Navine Christian, Director of Eduthink, reflects futuristically on the capabilities of the poets and the journey ahead. “This is not just about poetry,” he proclaims. “This is a life skill in development – to talk about yourself, what really hurts you and how you cope with it. A strong foundation for the future is being built here today for you moving forward.”
