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A group of youths have created a space for young people of diverse backgrounds, who they say often feel disenfranchised, to express themselves through spoken-word poetry.
Once a month, as the sun sets, teenagers and young adults flow into a plain room set up with a single microphone stand at the SA Writer's Centre on Rundle Street in Adelaide.
It looks like a simple space but as the night goes on the room comes alive.
'Open mic' opportunities see participants take to the stage and give fiery spoken word and musical performances, venting about social injustice, discrimination, colonisation, Western forces in the Middle East and the politics of division.
Manal Younus, a young Australian Muslim began Soul Lounge a year ago with the help of a few friends with the aim of creating a haven where young people felt welcome and could freely express themselves.
She said Soul Lounge was now a second family for many of the participants, who had found a support network with like-minded people facing similar challenges.
She said when she was performing it felt "like a weight had been lifted", with people connecting and being "heard in a place where it's easy to lose your voice".
A place for young people to express themselves
Matcho Cassidy is a Soul Lounge regular.
He said it was important for young people who were putting down new roots to connect with each other and their cultures, and navigate their different identities.
"They don't have a real guide to who they are or what their heritage is," he said.
"And even if they do have it, they don't have a place to express that."
Rachel Kariuki, another regular, is working on getting enough confidence to present her writing.
She said Soul Lounge was a place where she felt like she belonged.
"Coming to Soul Lounge is a great experience for me to hear what other people are feeling … Most of us are from multicultural communities and the stuff people talk about is what we all go though," she said.
'So many voices are silenced'
Queensland Slam Poetry Champion Anisa Nandaula, 18, was a recent guest performer, with her spoken word performance bringing the room to a mix of tears, applause and cheers.
Her piece was about the experiences of children in the third world, including her cousin who is the same age as her but struggles to eat a proper meal each day, is forced to find scraps in the bin, and is still learning to spell her name.
Ms Nandaula said young people were often the forgotten voices in a society, but centres such as Soul Lounge allowed them to feel like they were being listened to and taken seriously.
"Without such spaces so much talent goes unheard, so many voices are silenced and we miss the opportunity to help create informed young people," she said.
Organisers anticipate the event will grow in the next couple of months to showcase local artists.
"We are currently being faced with a plethora of challenges that will eventually be placed in the hands of young people," Ms Nandaula said.
"For the youth who aren't engaged and even those who are, places like Soul Lounge enable them to have natural discussions about these challenges and learn from one another," Miss Nanduala said.
Topics: poetry, youth, multiculturalism, arts-and-entertainment, community-and-society, adelaide-5000, sa, qld