For a group of London teens, the relatively quiet village of Oak Park might seem like Disneyland compared to what their country has been going through lately.
In the aftermath of riots this past summer that ravaged several communities in London, a group of young poets will make their annual trip to the United States and Oak Park and River Forest High School.
For almost a decade, the teens have visited America as part of the London Teenage Poetry Slam, co-founded by OPRF teacher Peter Kahn, who’s also the Spoken Word Club sponsor at the high school.
Kahn, who teaches English, connected with London poets in the early 2000s while on sabbatical in the country. He co-founded poetry slams for young poets there (18-21 years old). The exchange program began soon after, bringing the winning slam team members to the United States.
Each fall, the London poets participate in workshops at OPRF and Chicago schools, and also perform at OPRF’s annual Spoken Word Showcase in November. The exchange program, which is privately funded, is in its ninth year.
But funding dwindled last year and the trip was almost cancelled, Kahn says, due to Britain’s poor economy. At the last minute, donors stepped in to help bring four teens to the states, down from the dozen or so that normally visit.
Kahn said only four poets will be making the trip again this year, along with their adult chaperones, because the program is still in need of financial help. Kahn asked this year’s guests to do a piece about the recent upheaval in their country.
In early August, several London boroughs erupted in widespread rioting. The unrest was sparked by the controversial, deadly police shooting of 29-year-old London resident Mark Duggan. Protests became violent, with looting and arson spreading to several neighborhoods.
“The riots impacted communities where most, if not all, of the kids come from,” Kahn said.
The Londoners will arrive for a week’s stay starting Oct. 27. They’ll participate in classroom workshops and performances with Kahn’s Spoken Word Club members. They’ll also work with student poets at Julian Middle School, and with students at schools on the West Side.
Kahn said the London program lets the teens from both countries see how they’re both the same and different.
“The exchange program makes the world large and small, all at once,” he said.