YAAS Update

The Young Artists and Authors Showcase (YAAS) is an annual contest that encourages youth (ages 13-18)  worldwide to express the mission of Sister Cities International through original artwork, literature, photography and music.

This year’s theme was: Climatescape: Resilient Cities for Tomorrow’s Climate. 

Anisa Jaffe, a senior at Red Rock High School who has been selected from Sedona to enter the international competition was recognized at the SSCA May 19, 2024 International Brunch. We thank her for giving voice to her concerns, having the courage and persistence to apply for this competition and for being selected to compete in the International Showcase. 

Anissa is one of 5 children and has lived in many places arriving in Sedona just two years ago from California. As she says “ I found my group pretty quickly.” Anissa has been writing poetry for several years and wrote a book of poetry this year as a part of her AP English class. When asked about entering this competition, Anisa said “I’ve always wanted to enter a competition and it seemed like a cool opportunity.” Her poem “Everything we can do” reflects her concerns and her belief that we can all do something.

Anisa is a dancer, an artist, a poet. She is concerned about the future of our world and the environment and believes that we can all do small things to make a difference. She is glad that the city of Sedona is paying attention and trying to do positive things to sustain the environment.  Anisa says that she is “eco friendly.” This year she did a social action project right before Christmas where she encouraged other students not to purchase products that do animal testing. She created a list of products to avoid and support.  Anisa is a vegan for environmental reasons and carries a water bottle with her everywhere. At eighteen, Anisa is living her life with awareness of mother earth and our environment.

Anisa's Poetry Entry:  “Everything we can do.”

Everything We Can Do

The Earth is dying 

There’s nothing we can do

Everyone knows that

Don’t they?

We watch as it crumbles 

But we don’t see 

We listen as it cries 

But we don’t hear 

The Earth has fallen ill

Why can’t we see it?

It’s begging for our mercy

Why can’t we hear it?

If the world is truly crumbling, truly crying 

Why can’t we see or hear it?

It’s not that we can’t, it’s that we won’t. 

We choose not to see, not to listen. 

We convince ourselves they’ll save it 

That they’ll restore what they we have lost 

We put our trust in they

Because we can’t carry the weight 

Because we won’t carry the weight 

Who’s this “they” that we trust so much?

This “they” that will save the Earth?

The truth is “they” doesn’t exist 

There is no “they” coming to save us

To take the weight we don’t want to carry 

Our fate, our future 

Rests in our hands

But we refuse to carry the weight

The Earth is dying 

There’s everything we can do

Everyone knows that 

Don’t they?

Three Red Rock High School senior students stopped by the Sedona Sister Cities Booth (run by Carol Myers and Linda Petty) to learn about the YAAS Competition at the Spring Career Fair sponsored by the Rotary Club of VOC.