From left, Addison Gale, 10th grader; Olivia Maday, 12th grade; and Sierra Aguilar, 10th grade, members of Voices for Change. Photo by Jessica Steeley

BY JESSICA STEELEY
Clarkston News Staff Writer
Students get a chance to express their Voices for Change at their third annual poetry slam on Feb. 24, at 7 p.m. in the Clarkston High School Performing Arts Center.
Olivia Maday co-founded Voices of Change with her sister Madeline three years ago. Madeline was inspired to call for students across the district to share their voices after participating in the high school poetry slam.
“We incorporate all students from grades six through 12 in allowing them to submit poems,” Olivia said. “What’s unique about this event also is it’s a charity event. We pick a charity each year and all of the donations and entry money we get from the poetry slam will go to that charity.”
Voices for Change Executive Sierra Aguilar said the charity this year is the Woman’s Center of Southeastern Michigan.
“We wanted to do something local because I wanted to be able to have a representative come and talk to us,” Aguilar said, adding the charity was excited to work with the group.
The poetry slam has a prompt each year for participants to interpret in their own way, Aguilar said. This year the prompt is “My Anthem.”
“It’s really important for students to feel as though they have the opportunity to have their voices heard and people actually want to listen to them,” Olivia said. “Students go up on stage and perform and you can see the confidence they have in just sharing their own individual story and their own voice.”
Addison Gale, another Voices for Change executive, participated in the slam last year with Aguilar.
“We were so nervous, but we were really passionate about poetry. We always have been, and we wanted to share our message,” Gale said. “This is an amazing opportunity for anyone who may be too young for the other poetry slam in the spring to share their voices and to be heard and to find that special spark.”
Olivia said they try to narrow down their submissions to 20 poets for the event and really encourage younger grades to participate.
“We try and add a variety of grade levels throughout the slam, so we do seek to have more younger students in the slam as well.”
The crowd has a fantastic response to student’s poems, she said, adding the positive response and the inclusion of younger grades helps unite the community.
“It doesn’t only unite the community as a whole, it definitely unites students a lot because I know we became much closer through the poetry slam. I know I gained a lot of friends because of it,” Aguilar said.
Aguilar and Gale, both sophomores, plan to continue the poetry slam after Olivia graduates, though she plans to continue her work into college, just as her sister Madeline has helped the group, despite being at Emory University in Georgia.
“I really want to make this a more global project and make it more nation-wide. Hopefully I’ll be able to start this wherever I end up going to college and share the message with others,” Olivia said. “Maybe we can connect with Clarkston as well and really share the message between people across the nation.”