WHEREAS, the Hampton Roads Youth Poet Laureate Program is a joint program of Teens with a Purpose and Hampton Roads Youth Poets, in partnership with Urban Word NYC, supported by PEN Center USA and the Academy of American Poets; and

WHEREAS, the Hampton Roads Youth Poet Laureate Program aims to identify young writers and leaders who are committed to civic and community engagement, poetry and performance, and leadership and education across Hampton Roads; and

WHEREAS, the National Youth Poet Laureate Program was founded in 2016 by Urban Word NYC, a youth program that provides opportunities for learning creative writing, poetry, spoken word, college prep, literature, and hip-hop to support development and engagement among young adults; and

WHEREAS, on April 25, 2022, four young people with stellar poetry skills, outstanding civic/social engagement, and abundant energy were selected as Hampton Roads Youth Poet Laureates and Ambassadors; and

WHEREAS, Salma Amrou of Suffolk and Ayana Askew of Norfolk were named 2022 Youth Poet Laureates and Areen Syed of Virginia Beach and Marjorie Cenese of Norfolk were named Youth Poet Laureate Ambassadors; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Salma Amrou, Ayana Askew, Areen Syed, and Marjorie Cenese hereby be commended on their selection as Hampton Roads Youth Poet Laureates and Ambassadors; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare copies of this resolution for presentation to the Hampton Roads Youth Poet Laureates and Ambassadors as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for their contributions to the Commonwealth.