Connecting Through Poetry: Students Speak on Global Issues

Image

Young Poets Lend Their Voices to Global Issues

“So let the salt speak.
Not just in fields and furrows,
but in boardrooms, in cities,
in every policy
that forgets where food begins.”

“Let the Salt Speak” by Perseas Kamalani Vanebo, 11th grade, Hawai’i
First-place contest winner, Climate and Environment category
With lines from “How Is Bangladesh Preparing Farmers for Increasingly Salty Soil?" and Sea Greens: Examining the Potential of Saline Agriculture, both by Rachel Parsons

While our diverse network of grantees is reporting on issues like the impacts of extreme heat on mental health, the connection between climate change and rates of domestic violence, and the use of AI in surveilling the U.S.-Mexico border, students of all ages are engaging with these stories in classrooms, programs, and communities around the world.

While they may not be out in the field directly connecting with sources and witnessing the issues up close, opportunities like our annual Fighting Words Poetry Contest give students a platform to contribute their voice to the larger conversation on today’s most pressing issues, and invite the rest of the world to view the news through a poetic lens.

Since 2018, our K-12 Education team has used this contest as an opportunity to enhance the accessibility of journalism, cultivate empowering spaces for students to process news, and amplify the perspectives of diverse learners. For our 2025 contest, we were thrilled to receive a record-breaking number of entries: 1,875 poems submitted by K-12 students from 26 countries, 40 states, and the District of Columbia. Responding to stories from our five focus areas and weaving lines from the reporting itself into their entries, these students have used their creativity and writing skills to go beyond just reading the news. They immerse themselves in it.

Young people are deeply embedded in the news cycle and are acutely aware of how issues from every hemisphere can impact their own lives and communities. Reporting doesn’t stop at publication; it spreads its roots wide and welcomes humanity—regardless of age or experience—to engage, inspire, and take action on the issue at its core.

As we continue supporting journalism that cultivates powerful impact in a range of contexts, we look forward to seeing the results in learning spaces around the world.

We invite you to read these powerful winning poems and the reporting that inspired it, and subscribe to our weekly K-12 newsletter to find more opportunities for students to connect with the world of journalism.

Best,

Image

Impact

Inspired by a Pulitzer Center-organized lecture, Indonesian journalism student Sherlina Purnamasari created a powerful investigative documentary on transparency issues in ride-hailing apps. Produced as her thesis project, the film now has at least 91,000 views, and was released the same day as mass protests by more than 25,000 drivers across Indonesia. Purnamasari’s work, informed by insights from Pulitzer Center AI Accountability Fellow Karol Ilagan’s project The Philippines and the AI Boom, earned her an "A" on her thesis.  

“Sherlina’s work is a great example of what we aim for,” shared Intan Febriani, the Pulitzer Center’s director of international education and outreach.

Read more about the documentary here.

Photo of the Week

Image

This message first appeared in the June 27, 2025, edition of the Pulitzer Center's weekly newsletter. Subscribe today.

Click here to read the full newsletter.