For twenty years, Chris Henrikson has been using the power of poetry to reach and transform at-risk youths and students in classrooms and on the streets. What started as a writing workshop in a juvenile detention camp with six kids has grown to a program serving over 600 young people a year. At its core, Street Poets offers kids a safe space to open up, tell their stories, and discover and share their gifts. It has also been a way for some to purge difficult emotions and demons so they don’t have to resort to violence anymore. The end effect has been felt both in individuals and the community. Henrikson shares stories of transformation and triumph over tragedy in this interview.
