Urban Word NYC’s mission is to champion the voices of New York City youth by providing platforms for critical literacy, youth development and leadership through free and uncensored writing, college prep and performance opportunities.
Urban Word NYC is the central space for youth voice, identity and critical literacy in New York City and is the national leader in youth literary arts and youth development programs.
Michael Cirelli is the Executive Director of Urban Word NYC. he says that it is a grassroots non-profit organization that provides free, safe, uncensored and ongoing writing and performance opportunities for NYC teens. He is also the director of the Annual Spoken Word & Hip-Hop Teacher & Community Leader Training Institute at the University of Wisconsin that won the 2007 North American Association of Summer Sessions “Creative and Innovative Program Award.” He is also the author of the award-winning teaching guide, Hip-Hop Poetry & the Classics.
Urban Word NYC’s collaboration with the NY Knicks provides over $150,000 in scholarships to teens, as well as a college bound program that utilizes their strong relationship with CUNY’s College Now Program. Along with hundreds of New York City middle and high schools, UW collaborates with numerous other like-minded organizations around the city and the country, including the organizations that collaborate annually to implement Brave New Voices, the national teen poetry slam.
