SOCIETY is plagued with all forms of societal ills that are vastly affecting the youths of the country. Many may have different ways in dealing with their struggles as they travel through life, others may not be able to cope.

Twenty-year-old Grace ‘The Olive’ Hutson shared that poetry was her escape from emotional turmoil and has worked her way into using her poetic talent to impact others who may have challenges dealing with their stress.

Grace is a second-year Communications Student at the University of Guyana, model, poet, and radio personality of rebel radio.cobvfm who aspires to be an activist for change.
She describes herself as “short with a big voice”, passionate about empowering those of her generation with her talent.

‘The Olive’, as she is most commonly known, says she used poetry as a coping mechanism and that her inspirations come from her struggles and the feedback she gets from persons who would have seen or heard her pieces. “I am inspired by my struggles. Little by little I acquired the strength and motivation from the difficulties I faced and then from there I noticed the influence I have on people with what I do. The evolution of my platform came from the young girls and guys who come up to me in person or message me on social media to say, ‘thanks I wanted to say that but didn’t know how.’ And that keeps me going,” she said.

She added that she participated in a few competitions but never liked competing with her platform. “I never liked competing. I feel like there’s room for all of us so we shouldn’t have to race to see who’s better. However, I originally started liking performing and writing when I noticed my voice being heard. It’s not about the fame or popularity and I never ask for likes and shares. I just want it to provide comfort for people who need it like it did for me,” Grace said.

In her message to young people, Grace urges them to use rejection and failure as their propeller.

“Many days I thought ‘What was the point of this?’ and I wrote about 100 pieces and stashed them away in a private account on tumbler. But little by little, I came out the shadows and while there were and still are criticisms, the appreciation was greater. Special thanks to Franale and Khamisi, the director of Kast Talent Management for giving me that boost when I needed it,” Grace said.

She shared that she is not where she wants to be, but is working towards not being the “last minute choice” or “standby” in case someone more important drops out. However, she is grateful for each opportunity to effect change by speaking her truth.