Poetry Competitions

Last year and this year, I had the honor and privilege of working together with ’Stichting Global Inclusion’ and ‘Gemeente Amsterdam’ during the following projects: ’The 30th annual memorial of De Bijlmer Vliegramp’ (the plane crash) in 2022 and ’The 150th annual memorial of Keti Koti’ (abolition of slavery) in 2023.

Elementary school: ‘Crescendo’

In September 2022, a very special golden door was opened. I was allowed to teach my poetry masterclasses to elementary school pupils at Crescendo (in the K-neighborhood). Not just any, but in Amsterdam Zuid-Oost (south-east) where I grew up as a child and attended elementary school ‘De Brink’ after moving from the Caribbean. The other participating school, was a Special Educational Needs High School, named Orion College (in the G-neighborhood). This was truly special to me, because learning – and behavior disabilities are my expertise.

Elementary School: ‘De Rozemarn’

After going through all the poems, we choose the most beautiful poem written by Suvianty. Elementary Crescendo was the winner of this poetry competition. She was allowed to be recite her poem “De boom die alles zag”, during the memorial at the CEC building in ’The Bijlmer’ on the 4th of October. If you are curious, below you can see the winning school and pupil on national television (NOS).

In January 2023, another very special golden door opened again. I was allowed to teach my poetry masterclasses to a new set of elementary school pupils. This time, ‘de Rozemarn’ school (in the H- neighborhood) and ‘Shri Laksmi’ school (in the F-neighborhood) as well as the same Special Educational High School, Orion College participated with new groups yet again. This time, it was about the abolition of slavery which we celebrate during ‘Keti Koti’ on the 1st of July. My passion for history is well known by many, but when it comes to my own culture, I was so proud to talk about my own Surinamese heritage and shared the knowledge I possessed about this topic. A must see movie on Netflix based on this topic is: ‘Harriet’.

Special Educational Needs High School: ‘VSO Orion College’

While I started writing this article, it was spring break and as I always say. It’s good to check out during the busyness of life and check in, this time at a location called ‘Kasteel in Engelenburg’ in ‘de Veluwe’. The suite and the surroundings are inspirational by itself. If you would like to visit this place, I would highly recommend it and can be found via Booking.com. I found this precious gem via Your Little Black Book. Check her out, she gives the best tips for: staycations, workations or hotspots. Later that week, I also visited the exposition on ‘Koloniaal Erfenis’ in ‘Het Tropen Museum’ with some family members for further research on this topic.

At the moment, I am recovering from all these open doors in one of my favorite spa’s: Sanadome Nijmegen. While completing this article, I cannot express the gratitude I feel in my heart. I just look up to the Heavens and give thanks to God. Only He could have orchestrated this where my love for the youth, passion for education and poetry all came together. Thanks to everyone, who believed and supported me in this journey towards greatness. You know who you are!