Poetry Meets Children is a new project started by Delight Chilegide Olumati to inspire a love of poetry in young minds.

The initiative is thrilled to announce its growing impact with workshops designed for children across diverse environments. With the mission to make poetry accessible, inclusive, and fun, the program has recently expanded its reach to include children at an Orphanage Home and a Juvenile Correctional Home since they started on the 23rd of September 2024.

Founded to nurture creativity, self-expression, and emotional intelligence, Poetry Meets Children uses poetry as a tool to empower young learners to explore the beauty of language. The program’s unique approach now reaches some of the community’s most vulnerable members, offering workshops that educate and provide a space for healing and connection.

To ensure that each child can engage deeply with poetry, Poetry Meets Children has been using special educational materials curated by its founder, Delight Chilegide Olumati—a Poetry Workbook and the poetry collection, A Tender Awakening. The Poetry Workbook guides children step-by-step in creating their own poems, focusing on creativity, structure, and self-expression. It also encourages children to find their voice, explore emotions, and play with language in a way that feels accessible and fun.

 

Read: How You Can Make Money From Writing Poems

 

A Tender Awakening serves a dual purpose. It is not only a collection of poems that children can read and enjoy, but it also acts as a therapeutic tool, guiding young readers through themes of self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and personal growth. Furthermore, this book sparks conversations among the children, allowing them to connect their feelings to the written word and find healing through storytelling.

“Working with children in these environments has been incredibly rewarding,” said Delight Chilegide Olumati. “Our goal is to use poetry to help every child find their voice, regardless of background or circumstances. We believe that every child’s story matters, and poetry is a powerful way to share it.”

Since its launch at Atau Islamic College in Ilorin, the project has captured the imagination of children through interactive workshops that help express their thoughts, emotions, and ideas. By partnering with local schools, educational centres, orphanages, and juvenile homes, the program is making poetry a meaningful part of children’s lives.

The children at the Orphanage Home and Juvenile Correctional Home have enthusiastically embraced the recent workshops. They have embraced the opportunity to learn and express themselves creatively. These sessions focus on engaging activities that specifically help build communication skills, self-confidence, and a deeper understanding of emotions—all through the lens of poetry.

Finally, Poetry Meets Children invites educators, parents, volunteers, and community members to join this inspiring journey. By attending workshops, participating in events, or supporting the initiative through donations, anyone can contribute to bringing poetry to every child’s life.

It is exciting to see a project like this emerge in Nigeria. You can follow their journey or find out more information through their official social media page. 

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