Sponsored by Lion Forge Entertainment, the ‘Artists for Artists!’ campaign spotlighting child displacement in Southeastern Africa is raising funds for African Youth Artistic Poetry, a writing and performance workshop created by and for young artists in Malawi’s Dzaleka Refugee Camp: live performances set for June 19 event in New York.
KEPYR will mark its 10th anniversary with the 2026 Kindred Spirits campaign, Artists for Artists!, running June 1 – 30, spotlighting child displacement in Southeastern Africa and raising funds for African Youth Artistic Poetry, a writing and performance workshop created by and for young residents of Malawi’s Dzaleka Refugee Camp.
The campaign reflects KEPYR’s founding belief that storytelling can create meaningful human connection across wide distances. “Though separated by vastly different circumstances and thousands of miles, there is a profound connection between these young creators and all of us who work in children’s media: a belief in the power of storytelling,” KEPYR founder Grant Moran said. “For these children, finding their voices and telling their stories is more than art—it’s a lifeline.”
In a first for the organization, the New York City event on June 19 at Poets House in Manhattan will feature live performances by AYAP’s young poets via Shared Studios’ immersive technology, allowing attendees to interact with the artists in real time.
Sponsored by Lion Forge Entertainment and produced by campaign co-chair Jan Stebbins, the event is designed to create direct human connection between KEPYR’s community and the young artists in Dzaleka. The event is supported by Children’s Media Association, Home Storytellers, and Poets House.
“As we enter our second decade, we want to create more moments of genuine human connection,” Stebbins said. “By meeting these extraordinary teen poets in real time, we’re witnessing the same creative spark that drives our own work—used here as a source of resilience, dignity, and hope.”
The campaign will also feature KEPYR’s annual auction of original artwork, curated by veteran writer and producer Henry Gilroy. This year’s contributors include Dan Brereton, Matt Smith, and Shawn McManus.
Tickets for the New York event and Los Angeles mixer, along with auction details and donation opportunities, are available at https://www.kepyr.org/. Space for the New York interactive experience is limited.
Honored by the White House in 2021 with a President’s Volunteer Service Award, KEPYR was founded in 2017 to mobilize the children’s media community in support of forcibly displaced children worldwide. Its Board and Advisory Board include executives and creatives from across the global entertainment industry.
Source: KEPYR
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
