A 21-year-old television personality who is a student of the National University of Samoa (NUS), Prince Lalovi, is inspiring a generation of poets in Falealili as he leads the teaching of poetry to youth under the Brown Girl Woke performing arts programme. 

Director and founder of the Brown Woke Girl, Maluseu Doris Tulifau, said this is the first time poetry has been added to their three year performing arts venture which promotes the care for mental health amongst youth. 

The aim of the poetry programme is to empower students.

"We are preparing for international coastal cleanup day with SPREP next month," Maluseu said. 

"Our poet Prince Lalovi lives in Falealili we wanted him to start the programme to teach youth in his area how to write poetry especially on critical issues in Samoa," she said. 

So why Falealili?

"Falealili is one of the schools that we presented our mental health musical and the principal asked for us to start the programme there because they see the need for outlets for youth that are positive and that would encourage them to speak up on what’s happening in their lives," she said.

"It’s also great opportunity for our B.G.W members to implement projects in their areas and rural area at that. The International coastal day will bring all these young poets to platform that the whole world can hear as Youth speak on climate change from their own perspective. This also gives our poet a job and that’s what we want. We want to make sure our artists find ways to do what they love," she said.

BGW is also running a performing arts programme in schools. 

"We have run performing arts programmes at schools last year and we are excited to have this project promote more artist for the last 3 years," she said. "We always have our performing arts prepare for 16 days of activism for the kids to perform and we are excited to use this platform for climate change," she said.

Prince Vaa Lalovi is a TV3 host, majoring in tourism at NUS. 

"We are excited to see what the future has for him especially working grassroots," she said.

"That also means we are about making sure university interns at Brown Woke Girl can do what they love, make a job that changes the world and if they get into high positions they have experience in doing community work."