You can now purchase a copy of ‘War & Peace in Today’s World’ as written by a number of young people from around the UK for our 2016 poetry competition.
Priced at just £8.96 + pp but priceless words, thoughts and feelings.
Please leave a review on Amazon and tell us what you think.
You might also like to check out the 2015 publication ‘Identity’ too
Child Refugees
We are lucky
We have survived
The journey across the Mediterranean
A long, hard traumatic journey
The journey ahead
Is even harder
We are wet, cold
At risk from hyperthermia
At risk from pneumonia
The tents are unsafe
Winter has arrived
Facilities are dire
European Convention of the Rights of the Child
Do not matter here
No child friendly spaces here
Onwards we march
Heads hanging low, clutching dreams, clutching hope
Of safety
Innocent Eyes – A Child of War
My gentle eyes
What terror they see.
Despair and misery
No compassion, no liberty.
Brokenness and savagery
Befall my beloved country
I long for happiness and victory.
One great leader’s generosity
Gives me courage to relieve my melancholy.
I remember the fearlessness and honesty of my land
When will I see peace?
What can I understand of this savagery?
Tumbling buildings, shrapnel bombs
They shake my soul and pain my dreams
When will I see victory?
Life in war is a never-ending circle
Once it starts it may never stop.
Gunshots wake me up at night.
BOOM! BOOM! POW!
Screams outside my window
Blood smears everywhere.
When will there be freedom peace, compassion and liberty
And
No corruption?
Conflict
Waters flooding in
Bellowing noises in my head
Being overwhelmed with fear
Like pins and needles pushing in
That’s conflict.
Being filled with dead hope
Everything driving me madly crazy
Failure fills my day
Having no hope
That’s conflict.
Being detached from reality
Like being trapped in a room
Always having no escape
There’s no reality.
That’s conflict.
Lost in the Mud
When the telegraph came, our hearts rose
Filling our mouths like the streets when it snows
We wanted to know what had been done
To my friend and their son
A few months older and already at war
I dread to think of the things that he saw.
I remember the days in the rain and the sun
When we’d go on adventures with many a toy gun.
Now the adventures are real, gun, bomb, and tank track
Now I don’t know if he’ll ever come back.
They say there are trenches – all filled with mud
People get hurt and covered in blood
They stand in the cold, soaked by the rain
Watching their friends screaming in pain.
The din of the guns through day and night
So, I want to know – why do we fight?
In a few months’ time that might be me –
A name on a grave over the sea.
Thursday 6th September is UK National Poetry Day and to celebrate we are giving you an exclusive preview of some of the exceptional poems that we received for our poetry competition this year, on the theme of ‘War & Peace in Today’s World‘.
These poems and others will be featured in our forthcoming published anthology of the same name which will be our 2nd printed edition, following on from the success of last year’s book which was ‘Identity‘.
Identity is available to purchase from Amazon and ‘War & Peace in Today’s World’ will be available later on in the year.
The winners of the 2016 poetry competition will be announced on 16th October!
Being a young person can be really difficult at times! Lots of pressures from different places and people can make it a confusing and stressful time.
Well, hopefully we can help you to make some good choices when it comes to further education, training, employment or enterprise.
We’ve got some new opportunities for you if you live in the boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham, Croydon or Hammersmith & Fulham and are 16 to 18 years old.
There’s going to be a few short information sessions where you can find out how you can get an apprenticeship or a job, enrol on a course or start your own business.
You just need to register to attend, come along on Tuesday 13th September at 5pm in Croydon (there will be sessions in other boroughs too but everyone is welcome at this one) and hear what we have to say!
Friday 26th August is the last day for you to send in your poetry competition entries.
We’ve really enjoyed reading through all the submissions over the last few months and we’ll then have the really difficult task of selecting the best poems for our forthcoming published anthology ‘War & Peace in Today’s World’.
We’ll also be busy organising the annual Universal Children’s Day event which will be held on Monday 21st November, where the competition winners will be presented with their prize and have a chance to perform their winning entries!
Click here for your last chance to enter 2016’s competition!
This year’s poetry competition is about ‘War and Peace in Today’s World‘. You can download the guidelines here
‘War and Peace in Today’s World’
“This century has seen yet another turbulent roller-coaster of troubled times, in which the world we live in continues to be faced with uncertainties and conflict through wars, unrest and violent agendas.
Youth in Excellence has chosen ‘War and Peace in Today’s World’ as their theme for this year’s poetry competition and Universal Children’s Day event (20th November) opening up a whirlpool of thought for entrants to express their views, fears, hopes and solutions through written word and supported imagery.
This theme opens up a lot of political and social debate regarding countries all over the world who are at war over issues such as oil, land, religion, resources and money.
But there is also conflict on other levels too.
For example within families and relationships; gangs and communities and being at war with ourselves at times too.
So what does War mean to you?
And what are your visions of Peace?
Through conflict there are opportunities for resolution, learning and growing.
New beginnings where individuals, families, languages, communities, cultures and ages can seek to appreciate differences and embrace similarities.
Through our poetry competition, we hope to unlock personal perceptions and contribute to the journey of finding solutions and bringing peace to our homelands, our homes and our minds.
Top 3 finalists will be invited to attend our special award and prize giving event for Universal Children’s Day on Sunday 20th November.”
‘Identity – The Anthology‘ is a powerful collection of words and poems by young people in the UK.
Touching on issues such as religion, immigration, abuse, mental health, media stereotypes, belonging, education and loneliness; the voice of youth is heard in a way that makes you take notice of how they are feeling.
Raising the question of ‘Who Am I?’ the theme of identity can cause debate, conflict and tears within us as individuals and also outside in society.
Being labelled and categorised, fitting in with stereotypes and pre-conceived ideas and judgements, it can be very difficult to find the real ‘Me’/ the real ‘You’.
This book however, brings a refreshing insight into the young, creative minds of today. Although faced with daily challenges and battles, they demonstrate a strong sense of compassion, justice, fairness and equality.
‘Identity – The Anthology’ will make you laugh, cry and question your beliefs about who you are.
Please support our young poets who contributed towards the book and Youth In Excellence who made it happen.
If you would like 15 or more copies for your school, youth organisation or charity please email
info@youthinexcellence.com with your required amount and we can offer you a discount.
