ABOUT
GET LIT

Justice and literacy are two sides of the same educational coin. Putting those who have never seen the stage on their own stage in a bright light that will illuminate; that is exactly what Get Lit does. Let’s expand Get Lit into every single middle and high school in our community.

"Get Lit is not only changing the landscape of literacy in Los Angeles, it's providing a national model. Harnessing the power of art, Get Lit is transforming lives & creating pathways to greater opportunity."

"I never really knew that I never really knew my students until I started with Get Lit. There was so much that my students never talked about - unstable housing, peer pressure, body negativity, abusive relationships, cultural conflicts, and so many personal stories that I became a much fuller human being after each poem was performed. I am so very thankful for Get Lit and the opportunities it affords my students. This year I had a guest teacher from Get Lit visit my classes. He happened to be my student all those years ago. He is the best example of the transformative power of Get Lit. They take a young person who has already been shaped by negative circumstances and they give him a pen and a microphone and the result is pure light. Then we see everything more clearly."

"Working with Spoken Word poetry and Get Lit is all about empowering student voices, especially for those students who feel marginalized in other settings. When students find that their voices have a place in the ‘powerful play’, and that they can find not just support but celebration and affirmation for their own creative expressions, that creates personal growth that any educator wants to see for their students. It can be nothing short of transformative."

"Our teachers share countless stories of students who formerly shied away from speaking in class developing into vocal leaders, performers, and public speakers. In 2016, one of our Get Lit cohorts demonstrated a 27% average increase in reading level during a single academic year. The impact on student engagement has been tangible as well, with 142 students in the Get Lit program across our network increasing their credit completion rate by over 60 percent on average during the 2018-19 school year."

"I've worked with nonprofits large and small but the simple fact is THIS. When it comes to direct impact, transformational, data driven trackable results, pure creativity and innovation at all levels, well...Get Lit towers over the rest. I've witnessed this personally and first hand in our schools, communities and the City of Los Angeles. "

"Investing in and supporting Get Lit's work has been an invaluable experience. Their talent for unleashing youth creativity and uplifting the diverse voices is a testament to their curriculum, community, staff and vision."

"Get Lit has allowed my students and me to grow immeasurably. The combination of a strong curriculum, an amazing amount of outreach and support, along with a true belief in the power of poetry to shine a light on social justice and the power of the individual, has made Get Lit absolutely essential in my work."

"I honestly can't recommend GetLit enough, because it's so much more than having kids read and write poetry. More than anything, GetLit has helped me rediscover my voice. I hadn't even realized that so much was missing."

"I have seen time and time again, teens like me get the love we need to move out of tough situations. Get Lit is full of angels. This non-profit is a godsend. I don’t know where my friends and I would be without it. Big thanks to Diane Luby Lane and the amazing people at Get Lit for seeing my potential. "