ABOUT SHANIQUA

I'm Shaniqua Benjamin – a coach (Level 5 EMCC accredited), consultant, mentor, poet, writer, creative workshop facilitator, and curator. With over ten years of experience in engaging with communities through the power of words, I am a catalyst who empowers others and amplifies voices, while spreading love and making a difference in the world. My work has engaged tens of thousands of people in-person and online across multiple countries.

Between 2014 and 2021, I ran Young People Insight CIC (YPI), a platform to empower young people through creativity, conversation and writing – this is where my journey as a poet and mentor began.

My poetry has been published by Ink, Sweat & Tears, Magma, and RRB Photobooks. I’ve performed at numerous events, including the Trinity College Cambridge Black History Month Formal Dinner, and as part of Apples & Snakes' immersive spoken word show, Rallying Cry.

I was chosen to be Croydon's first Poet Laureate from 2020-24, connecting with the local community through workshops, poetry readings and creative projects. As a Caribbean Croydoner, I was proud to collaborate with the National Portrait Gallery and Museum of Croydon on Citizen UK: Croydon's Caribbean Influencers.

In 2019, I was longlisted for the Out-Spoken Prize for Poetry in Performance and named to The Blacklist: GUAP’s 30 Under 30 for Black Creatives and Professionals. In 2022, I was awarded the Investing in Equality scholarship by The Black Fund to attend the One Young World summit in Manchester, where I spoke on a panel with Leigh-Anne Pinnock and performed a poem, We, to empower Black women and girls. This led to me writing a poem for Leigh-Anne's 2024 headline show.

I am committed to supporting and challenging people to be the best version of themselves – for themselves, for others, and for their communities.