COURAGEOUS CADENCE: YOUTH SPOKEN WORD & PERFORMANCE RESIDENCY

PRESENTED BY THE VORTEX & THE POET HOUSE

Courageous Cadence: Rhyme in Resistance is a youth-centered arts initiative focused on empowerment, creative leadership, and community building through poetry and performance. Grounded in a commitment to race and gender (in)justice, this program equips young spoken word poets with the tools to explore identity, advocate for social change, and build collective power through artistic expression.

Through a year-long progression of workshops, intensives, residencies, and public performances, participants engage in:

Spoken word and creative writing labs
Social justice and identity workshops
Public speaking, stage presence, theatre making, and performance coaching
Ensemble building and collaborative creation
Community dialogue and public showcases

Courageous Cadence cultivates a space where youth voices are amplified, stories are honored, and poetry becomes both personal healing and public resistance. The program’s open mics, residencies, and mentorship opportunities inspire the next generation of poets, leaders, and changemakers to rise, speak, and transform their communities.

A Partnership Between The Poet House & The VORTEX

Courageous Cadence is made possible through the collaborative partnership between The Poet House and The VORTEX, two Austin-based arts organizations committed to cultivating creative spaces that center historically marginalized voices.

The Poet House provides programmatic leadership, curriculum design, instructional staff, and youth-centered care practices that ground Courageous Cadence in spoken word, social justice, and community-based storytelling.

The VORTEX serves as the hosting site for all monthly intensives and the producing partner for the residency and public performance, offering rehearsal space, technical support, and professional production infrastructure.

Together, The Poet House and The VORTEX offer youth comprehensive artistic development, mentorship, production support, and community engagement opportunities that foster both artistic excellence and social change.

Core Program Pillars

Creative Empowerment: Developing writing, storytelling, and spoken word skills
Leadership Development: Building confidence, advocacy, and public engagement
Community Engagement: Centering youth-led conversations on race, gender, and justice
Literacy Development: Strengthening both traditional literacy (reading, writing, critical analysis) and digital literacy (media creation, online advocacy, responsible platform use).
Public Performance: Sharing work on professional stages for real-world experience
Mentorship: Partnering youth with working poets, artists, and community leaders

Who is this for?

High school aged youth poets and theatre makers
Ages 13-17 (or 18 if within 1 year post-secondary school transition)
Emerging spoken word artists, performers, activists, and storytellers
Youth passionate about using art for social justice, leadership, and personal growth

Program History

Courageous Cadence was founded in 2020 by Jasmine Games, Director of Education and Social Justice at The VORTEX and Artistic Director of The Poet House. Originally developed as part of Jasmine’s graduate studies in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities (DTYC) at The University of Texas at Austin, Courageous Cadence began as a Performing Justice Project, adapting ensemble performance methods to center spoken word poetry as a tool for racial, gender, and healing justice.

The early development of Courageous Cadence was supported by community partnerships with Speak Piece Poetry Project, Austin Bat Cave, and the UT DTYC program. The program first launched as a virtual residency during the COVID-19 pandemic, operating online in Fall 2020 and Summer 2021. In 2022 and 2023, Courageous Cadence moved into in-person programming through summer residencies hosted at the African American Youth Harvest Foundation's Urban University Summer Camp.

In Spring 2024, The VORTEX hosted the first full in-person Courageous Cadence residency, marking the program’s transition into a long-term partnership between The Poet House and The VORTEX. Today, Courageous Cadence continues to grow as a collaborative spoken word and performance residency where youth develop original writing, engage in social justice dialogue, and perform fully staged public showcases. The program also includes zine publishing and digital storytelling to amplify youth work both on and off the stage.

Join the 2025-2026 Courageous Cadence Cohort

Are you ready to share your story, build your voice, and create powerful new work? Courageous Cadence is looking for youth poets and performers to join this year’s cohort. No experience is needed, just your passion to learn, write, and perform.

Program Timeline: September 2025 to April 2026
Monthly workshops and a final performance residency at The VORTEX

Application Deadline: September 1st, 2025.
Early application is encouraged. Space is limited.

Apply now and be part of a supportive community of artists, leaders, and changemakers.

SUBMIT APPLICATION

Program Schedule

Courageous Cadence is a supportive, high-impact program designed to help youth grow as poets, performers, and leaders. All sessions are held at The VORTEX (2307 Manor Rd, Austin, TX) and build toward our fully staged spring showcase. Attendance is required at all sessions. However, we understand that life happens, and pre-approved schedule conflicts or emergencies are okay with advance communication. Youth are expected to participate fully, share their work, and support the ensemble. Because the final performance is a collaborative effort, participation in the April residency is based on consistent engagement, commitment, and creative growth throughout the year.