Inspirational Student Praised By Poets Following Award Win
An inspirational student from Hasland Hall Community School has received praise from far and wide after one of his poems went global.
Kenzi Jupp, 12, has produced numerous poems this year over the course of lockdown, many of which he has shared on social media to much acclaim.
Acclaim is nothing new to Kenzi, who last year won first prize in the Young Poet Network’s annual contest with his poem ‘I’m Just Me’ which was subsequently printed in the Young Minds collection.
Kenzi wrote the beautiful poem for National Autism Day, in the hope that by outlining the challenges his Asperger's presents, it will help to raise awareness of autism spectrum conditions.
Speaking about his poetry, Kenzi said: “With my poetry, I want to show people what it’s like to have autism and to raise awareness of how they can help us and why we do what we do. It also helps me to explain the way I feel about things which may otherwise be hard to talk about.”
Amanda Pearce, Kenzi’s mother and teaching assistant at Hasland Hall, said: “I’m so incredibly proud of Kenzi, having ASD means he faces challenges on a daily basis others don’t even think about.
“His poetry never ceases to amaze and inspire me. It makes me understand so much more the way he sees the World. I hope it encourages others to also learn more about Autism and how we as a society can help and support others as a whole.”
Outwood are currently working closely with Hasland Hall as the school works towards converting to an academy and becoming a member of the Outwood Family.
Julie Slater, Chief Executive Secondary at Outwood, said:
“As a society we need to understand more about autism. This is a cause very close to my heart as my own daughter has autism. Kenzi’s poem absolutely resonated with me as sometimes it’s hard to understand what it’s like to live with autism.
“We have to spread awareness and learn how to support people with autism; as Kenzi said, they are not weird or nerds. A little understanding and knowledge can go a long way.”
Ian Cooper, Outwood’s Regional Vice Principal, said:
“Like all great artists Kenzi uses his medium to allow others to see the world through his eyes. To share such emotion with honesty and clarity requires maturity and a bravery from which we can all draw some inspiration. Kenzi has the world ahead of him and I look forward to reading his interpretation of all that life throws at him through his poetry.
“Kenzi said that Julie Slater was ‘one of the most important people he’d ever met’. I wonder as Kenzi's work continues to be shared Julie would say the same thing about Kenzi’”
You can follow Kenzi and read his latest work by following him on Twitter at @KenziKj. He has also appeared in numerous articles in his local papers as well as on the BBC and ITV.