Call to Youth Poets: Expressions of Interest

District of Saanich Youth Community Poets Program 2026-2028

Submission Deadline: Friday, October 31, 2025

The District of Saanich invites submissions from all youth poets for our Youth Community Poets Program through our website.

The Youth Community Poet plays a vital role in showcasing the positive impact of poetry, spoken word, and literary arts for youth in Saanich. This role fosters community connections through projects that celebrate the people and places of Saanich, engage the community, and inspire participation.

We welcome and encourage applications from poets of all backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences. We are committed to fostering a program that reflects the diversity of our community, including but not limited to differences in age, culture, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, language, and socio-economic background. Your unique voice and perspective enrich the creative landscape of Saanich.

Objectives

The District of Saanich’s Community Poets Program, through the role of Community Youth Poet, will highlight the positive impact of poetry, spoken word, and the literary arts and foster community connection through initiatives that:

  1. Celebrate the people and places in Saanich through initiatives involving literary works
  2. Engage with community and inspire participation
  3. Elevate the profile of poetry, spoken word and the literary arts in Saanich communities

Term and Renumeration

The selected Community Youth Poet will serve for a one-year term, commencing January 2026, with an option for extension to a second year at the discretion of staff.  The position receives an honorarium of $2000 per year, with additional project funds of up to $1000 per year to cover related project costs. 

Submission Guidelines

Application Process

Applications to be submitted through our online application form below.

The application package includes:

  • Letter of Intent – Tell us about yourself and your interest in this role, what inspires you, your goals, ideas for a creative project you are interested in exploring and how you might engage and inspire other youth poets.  
  • One Reference letter from a teacher or mentor  
  • Work Samples – Submit up to two original poems.  Spoken word submissions must include both audio / video recordings and written transcripts.

Youth Community Poet Application

Please read through the Submission Guidelines (above) prior to submitting your application. This form cannot be saved and returned to later. Please ensure all information is complete before submitting. Early or late submissions will not be accepted.

Deadline to apply: October 31, 2025 at 4 p.m. PST. Poets will be notified by December 2025

Contact Information

If applicant is under the age of 18
If applicant is under the age of 18
If applicant is under the age of 18

Submission Materials

Applicants must include the following in the File Upload below: 

Letter of Intent - Tell us about yourself and your interest in this role, what inspires you, your goals, ideas for a creative project you are interested in exploring and how you might engage and inspire other youth poets.

One Reference Letter - from a teacher or mentor 

Work Samples - Submit up to two original poems. Spoken word submissions must include both audio / video recordings and written transcripts. 

Applicants must include all of the submission materials listed above. You may upload multiple files or a single one with all of the submission requirements., 100MB maxium per file. File types may include: pdf, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, jpg, jpeg, tif, tiff, png, zip. To ensure all files are uploaded, hold the CTRL key and select all of the images you wish to submit. Once selected, click ‘Open’ to ensure success.

Final Submission & Certification

Intellectual Property: All writings, notes, and original materials created during the Community Youth Poet’s tenure shall remain the intellectual property of the Poet, granting the District license to copy, publish and utilize project images and videos for District-related purposes.

Confidentiality: The collection of personal information for this competition is authorized under the Local Government Act, Community Charter and section 26(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The information will be used to communicate information to Staff and the Project Jury for the purpose of evaluation and selection. Materials submitted for consideration to public art competitions will be treated as confidential. Ideas presented are understood to be the intellectual property of the applicant and the information contained therein will not be reproduced or adapted for any purpose, except to the extent necessary as described above. The District will not release this information to the public except as required under the Province of BC’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Questions related to privacy protection can be directed to the District’s Privacy Officer at: 770 Vernon Ave, Victoria BC V8X 2W7, t.250-475-1775, e.foi@saanich.ca

The District of Saanich is not responsible for submission delays, including those caused by technological or network issues on either end. Failure to follow the submission guidelines may result in your application being declined. Mailed applications will not be returned. For more information about the Community Youth Poet Program, or for assistance with your submission, please contact the Community Arts Programmer: shantael.sleight@saanich.ca. 

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