My Nonprofit Reviews

Get Lit has had a steady growth trajectory since I've known them for the past 8 years. They have been able to reach more students every year that are especially in need of an academic program that not only teaches them vital skills in self-refelction but in articulating how they feel to the exernal world. Get Lit has found an amazing intersection where education, engagement of youth, therapy, and community building can happen at the same time. In a world where youth are often ill-equipped in the skill of communication and where traditional education is leaving many kids behind, Get Lit has been able to shine the light on students who haven't found the right vehicle to teach them critical reading and giving them a voice and equipping them with skills that they carry on to their adult life. Get Lit's recent growth has been to adapt their curriculum to the tech-leading world we live in. This is allowing for a global outreach to help students that aren't just local. At the same time, they have been able to be a cohort to the LAUSD system to adapt their approach to poetry that will expand that platform to educate students in Ethnic Studies. Their film and music departments are quickly becoming a natural expansion of their multi-media curriculum allowing more kids to get involved in the Get Lit community and also give the student poets to work on multiple skills. The founder, Diane Luby, and her Get Lit team fiercely guards and honors the space between teachers and the student. The magic of the mentoring and nurturing that the teachers administer while teaching the Get Lit cuuriculum and coaching the poetry teams is pivotal for many students, during the developmental years. Living in a world where many are feeling unheard, unseen, and alienated, Get Lit is providing a safe space and a platform for kids to connect, learn and shine.

Get Lit Words Ignite is a poetry education program that has touched the lives of thousands of youth poets that have either gone through their program or witnessed the youth poets' performances. As a Board Member, I've seen Get Lit grow from a grass-roots organization that survived on the passion of the founder, a handful of poets and volunteers. Now, just over a decade old, Get Lit has become a multi-faceted platform that is enabling poetry to be a vehicle for these young students' talents to lead to roles in: leadership, education, arts, activism, entertainment, music, brand building, and fashion. They are paving the way and enlightening the art and education world that poetry can not be contained in some dusty books or a small theater. The Get Lit poets are performing all around the world from their local schools, Lincoln Center, the UN, to the White House.

Through this program, lives are being changed. Students are encouraged and given the tools to find their "voice", build self-confidence, while honing their writing and critical thinking skills. With the support of their community of peers, teachers, and the Get Lit executive team, these kids realize they are not alone in their journey.

Unlike many kids in high-school that are under anxiety or burn-out from competing to get to a goal that they don't understand or believe in. These poets have inspired me with their talent, focus, and commitment to their craft. They are motivated by the sheer joy that comes from their art.

The relationships that I've had with the Founder and Executive Director- Diane, the executive team, and fellow board members are based on the shared tenets: passion for poetry, believing in the power of the arts to better peoples' lives, and commitment for creating opportunity for these kids.

Get Lit has a way of embracing you- making you feel like all of us have something to contribute and that each of our gifts are valuable. I feel lucky and honored to be a part of their community.