Hope at Hand Inc

Mission:  Hope at Hand brings the healing power of poetry to at-risk youth in Northeast Florida. Through the integration of creativity, language, art, and therapeutic approaches, we offer transformative poetic experiences to local youth and engage a global community in celebrating National Poetry Month through Jax Poetry Fest.

Programs: Hope at Hand's poetry programming delivers unique arts and cultural experiences. We offer two distinct poetry opportunities: 1) poetry lessons for youth through social service agencies and 2) poetry festivals and events for adults. 

Hope at Hand collaborates with community partners to provide weekly poetry lessons for youth, while also offering adult events, workshops, and exhibits that actively involve the local community.

Approach: Poetry is ubiquitous, with even the simplest verses like "Roses are red" residing in our collective memory. Leveraging this familiarity, Hope at Hand begins each lesson by establishing a connection to words and rhythm. Poetry is the foundation for our work and lessons are thoughtfully crafted to engage hard-to-reach youth. Hope at Hand instructors employ diverse methods to introduce poems and poetry formats during lessons. Our team continuously develops innovative curricula that meet the evolving needs of the youth we serve. Instructors facilitate engaging discussions that allow participants to connect poems to their unique situations. Through the process of writing original poems, youth reinforce their connections to these discussions and the poems. Each Hope at Hand lesson encompasses the exploration of two poems, representing a range of poets, cultures, and beliefs, followed by an art project. Upon completion of reading and analysis, participants are encouraged to transform their words into artistic expressions.

Poems from our youth: 

If I could be free

that's all it would take.

I’d roam this Earth

to clear all of my mistakes.

If I could be free,

I’d flow like the wind.

I’d set sail on the water,

go to sleep, wake up

and start over again.

If I could be free

I'd never leave home.

But I do realize

at this point

the word free is unknown.

-incarcerated girl with Hope at Hand

 Pretrial Detention Facility

..........

I am loved and outgoing.

I wonder what she thinks about me.

I say that we all need someone by our side.

I dream of a life on Mars.

I am your Superman.

-teenage boy with Down syndrome with Hope at Hand  

..........

Curiosity

and wonder.

Collecting

and seeing.

Life with

strength.

The beauty

within.

–teenage girl with Autism spectrum with Hope at Hand    

 ..........

my daddy is locked up 

and 

my momma is gone

the only thing that 

keeps me rooted 

is showing the world 

that I am not useless

-teenage boy in recovery  with Hope at Hand

Hope at Hand Partnerships: Hope at Hand has vast and stable partnerships in North Florida. 

 POETRY WORKSHOPS FOR YOUTH/DUVAL COUNTY 

In-house partners: 

-Sulzbacher Center for the Homeless

-Children’s Home Society

-Sanctuary on 8th Street

-Hubbard House Domestic Violence Shelter

-Gateway, Steps to Recovery/Boys Recovery Center

-Gateway Steps to Recovery/Girls Recovery Center

-MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation 

Outreach partners:

-Girls, Inc./Ed White High, Joshua Christian Academy High 

-Youth Crisis Center 

-Pretrial Detention Facility

-Duval County’s Teen Court

-Department of Juvenile Justice/Duval Regional Detention Center 

-Title I Schools/Andrew Robinson Elementary, Landmark Middle School, Global Outreach Charter Academy, S.P. Livingston Elementary 

-Police Athletic League/Westside, Northside, Palm Avenue and Arlington

OTHER COUNTIES - Outreach youth partners:

-University of Florida Health - Brave Summit for Teens (St. Johns) 

-Betty Griffin House Domestic Violence Shelter (St. Johns)

-Florida State University’s College of Social Work - Griffin Middle School (Leon) 

POETRY WORKSHOPS FOR ADULTS 

-Gateway, Steps to Recovery

-Pretrial Detention 

-Brooks Rehabilitation

POETRY FOR ELDERS - Drop-off poetry and workshops for Nursing Home partners: 

-Taylor Care Center

-Palm Garden of Jacksonville

-Bartram Lakes Assisted Living

-Cathedral Care

-Starling at San Jose 

-Cypress Village 

POETRY OPEN TO THE PUBLIC - Opportunities to engage in our poetry, poetry lessons & free take-home poetry kits:

-Jacksonville Public Library’s Main Branch

-Chamblin’s Uptown Bookstore

-Downtown Vision, Inc.

-Riverside Arts Market 

-Zoom workshops 

-YouTube lessons

JaxPoetryFest.org VIRTUAL PARTICIPANTS - Countries attending our virtual poetry workshops/registered via Eventbrite: 

United States

United Kingdom

Canada

India

Ireland

Germany

Mexico

New Zealand

Belgium

Serbia

Philippines

Panama

Pakistan

Jamaica

Indonesia

Turkey

Switzerland

South Africa

Romania

Portugal

Peru

Greece

Czech Republic

Bolivia

Australia

In the news:

https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/jacksonville-students-use-poetry-to-honor-classmate-killed-in-crash/77-5514cfbf-89f3-4046-a6d0-20da5ef91971

https://www.pontevedrarecorder.com/stories/hope-at-hand-receives-grants-from-philanthropic-organizations,76902