Youth Speaks Hawaii (YSH) is a program of Hawai'i nonprofit Pacific Tongues.
Founded in January 2005, the organization focuses on promoting teen literacy and civic engagement through the writing and performance of spoken word slam poetry.
In the 2007 Brave New Voices championship, held in San Jose, California, YSH placed 7th among the 35 teams.
[1] Preceding the 2008 event, held in Washington DC, YSH was chosen as one of the teams featured in HBO's series "Russell Simmons Presents: Brave New Voices."
[2][3] The following year at the event held in Chicago, Illinois, with a total of 50 teams competing, Hawaii repeated as champions.