The Pongo Poetry Project is on a mission to engage youth in writing poetry, fostering healing and personal growth.
For over 20 years, Pongo has been mentoring young poets at the Clark Children & Family Justice Center (CCFJC), which serves as King County’s juvenile detention facility.
Through its poetry writing workshops, Pongo offers CCFJC youth a vital outlet for self-discovery and creative expression, providing them with tools that inspire recovery and healing.
In collaboration with Real Change, Pongo Poetry Project presents a special monthly column that showcases the creativity and resilience of systems-impacted youth, who often find themselves on the margins of society.
This initiative encourages readers to bear witness to the talents of these young voices and to work toward creating a world where every verse resonates with understanding, and every heart finds healing.
Nebeu Shimeles serves as Pongo Poetry Project’s co-executive director of development & finance and plays a crucial role in guiding the organization’s mission.
Within this column, some powerful poems have emerged from the young people at CCFJC, highlighting their struggles, hopes, and dreams.
One poignant piece titled ‘My Mind’ reflects on the isolation felt by a young individual who grapples with the burden of knowledge.
The author writes about feeling shunned for their intelligence and how it often leads to loneliness, stating, “They never liked me for it, shunned me, like I was wrong for it.”
Despite the weight of this burden, the poet expresses resilience, continuing on their journey of learning and understanding the world, though they long for companionship to share their insights.
Another evocative poem, ‘What I Wish I Could Take Away,’ delves into the desires of a young person wishing to alleviate their family’s struggles.
The author recalls childhood memories, yearning to take away their mother’s financial worries and the difficulties faced by other family members.
The wish is portrayed as a vivid, multi-sensory experience, described using the imagery of light sky blue, the sound of summer breezes, and the joy of family outings.
This heartfelt longing reflects not just the desire to contribute positively to their family but a deep-rooted wish for happiness and connection.
The third poem, ‘Factor,’ offers another perspective, with the young poet asserting their commitment to creating joy in the lives of others despite personal challenges.
The author emphasizes the importance of loyalty and forgiveness, expressing a desire for meaningful relationships akin to a stable zipline that operates both ways.
With an optimistic attitude, the poet shares their dream of going to the moon and prides themselves on their loyalty and respect, likening themselves to a lion in their strength and character.
The idea of a ‘secret talent’—singing in solitude—highlights the capacity for creativity and self-expression, reinforcing the notion that these young people possess skills and dreams worth sharing.
As the column seeks to highlight, these poems are not just exercises in creativity; they are a testimony to the lives and struggles of youth who are often overlooked.
Through poetry, these young individuals find a way to voice their thoughts and feelings, cultivating a sense of identity and community.
Pongo Poetry Project continues to champion the power of poetry as a transformative force, giving youth a platform to express themselves authentically.
In doing so, the organization aims to create a culture of understanding and healing, one verse at a time.
Real Change, in partnership with Pongo, underscores its commitment to providing opportunities and a voice to those experiencing poverty, while advocating for economic, racial, and social justice.
Readers are encouraged to support local street paper vendors to sustain their work and amplify the voices of individuals within the community.
The Pongo Poetry Project, through its workshops and this collaboration, illuminates the incredible potential for healing that can emerge from self-expression, fostering hope and resilience in a challenging world.
image source from：https://www.realchangenews.org/news/2025/04/16/surmounting-challenges-and-summoning-resilience-through-poetry
