Speak the words ki au nei: The intersection between Spoken Word Poetry and Public Health

Abstract

Aim The principal aim of this study was to explore how youth in Tāmaki Makaurau utilized Spoken Word Poetry and its relationship to health and wellbeing. This included documenting the Spoken Word scene and history in New Zealand, specifically within Auckland city. This study also investigated how Spoken Word Poetry resonated within Māori and Pacific participants with a focus on mental health. Methods This research project utilised three qualitative data collection methods: focus-group interviews, ethnographic observations, and finally autoethnographic data collated by the researcher. Thematic analysis of these data were triangulated when investigating the overall phenomenon of Spoken Word Poetry. Data was sorted thematically and then analysed using a general inductive approach. Findings Spoken Word Poetry was found to benefit youth within their personal lives but also as a collective activity and network that was consistent with wellbeing. Youth discussed Spoken Word as a medium for self-discovery, personal development, affirmation and empowerment, and resistance. Spoken Word Poetry also provided a social network and place to address relevant social and political issues within dominant spaces. Finally, it was also found to be culturally responsive to Māori and Pasifika youth as a site for cultural regeneration and increasing indigenous identity. Conclusions The findings of this research contribute valuable knowledge that links Spoken Word Poetry in Aotearoa with the educational and mental health needs of Auckland youth within the context of Public health. Given that these associations are complex, the present findings foreground Spoken Word Poetry not only as a form of addressing negative influences such as suicide, bullying, and self-harm but as a space for positive youth development. Spoken Word Poetry should be seen as a new and innovative mental health intervention for youth in Aotearoa in addition to its benefits as a scholastic tool. Public Health strategies should move toward incorporating interventions such as this that are positively engaging for youth.