Slam a boost for teens

Young poets are sharing their stories in a creative battlefield.

Four students from Glenfield College are competing at this year’s inter-high school Spoken Word poetry competition Word - The Front Line.

Now in its third year, the annual competition is on August 27 at Auckland Town Hall, with six high schools competing in the grand slam.

Glenfield College student Aleisha Parkinson has been competing for two years now and says it has helped her express herself and feel comfortable in crowds.

‘‘It has helped me with things as small as relieving stress and as big as helping me to learn how to deal with social anxiety,’’ Parkinson says.

‘‘Word - The Front Line opened an entirely new world that I think everyone everyone should get to experience.’’

Sponsored by Auckland Live, Action Education and South Auckland Poets Collective, the competition encourages young people to express themselves through spoken word poetry.

The competition started with 160 young people from 24 Auckland high schools. Students then went through workshops and semi-finals ahead of the final grand slam.

Word - The Front Line is on Saturday, August 27 from 7pm. Tickets are available from $10 to $15 at ticketmaster.

Glenfield College’s young poets, from left, Denesse Atendido, Aleisha Parkinson, Ara Mae Adriatico, and Jade Pexton.