The Beat Within

Serving time in Juvenile Hall has a profoundly negative impact on young people’s health, as well as their opportunities for education and employment. Weekly workshops with The Beat Within empower incarcerated youth to use the artistry of the written word through poetry, prose, and storytelling to connect to their inner voice.

The arts are virtually non-existent in the juvenile detention facilities throughout the country’s incarcerated youth population. This is where TBW steps in to provide youth with a safe space to offer their perspectives during a one hour facilitated writing workshop. During the hour, participants write and the adult facilitators provide feedback and help with the writing process as well as with the stories youth have to tell. After the workshops, facilitators, staff and youth interns transcribe all hand-written pieces, edit content, respond to each individual piece and submit selected writing to print in the 60 page, bi-monthly publication. The publication is given to all participants and available on line.

The Beat Within’s mission is to provide incarcerated youth with consistent opportunities to share their ideas and life experiences in a safe space that encourages literacy, self-expression, some critical thinking skills and healthy, supportive relationships with adults and their community. We are committed to being an effective bridge between youth who are locked up and the community that aims to support their progress towards a healthy, non-violent and productive life.