Speakers Trust x
Federation of awarding bodies
Thank you for showing interest in our organisation! This evening we are working in partnership with Federation of Awarding Bodies to raise vital funds to support young people with their communication skills in state schools across the country.For too many young people their future is dictated by where they’re from and not what they’re capable of. Oracy and communication are commonplace in the private school system, yet young people from under privileged backgrounds often leave school without the opportunities or confidence to have their voice and opinion heard.
Our work levels the playing field, ensuring that all young people have the skills, confidence and opportunity to have a voice and thrive in life.Our ambition for young people is limitless, but our resources are not. Support comes in all shapes and sizes and any donation no matter the size can make a difference the lives of young people we support.A company limited by guarantee registered in England under no. 6740655.
Registered Charity: (England & Wales) 1139377
www.speakerstrust.org
Impact
Last year we worked with over 35,000 young people. When walking in to a classroom of 30 young people on average 12 have little or no confidence in speaking. This is what we work hard to change. More than 3/4 of the people we work with increase their confidence and 95% build empathy with their classmates. We want to ensure that the skills we teach young people are transferable to all areas of their life. 83% of students believe that our work helps them realize they can succeed in new things and 93% learn skills they can use in the next stage of education and employmentOur impact dashboard which is displayed on our website and updated (almost) live, helps us and our supporters keep track of the progress of our project as well ensuring complete transparency. You can see a snapshot below:
case studies
Hear directly from the people we work with, what a difference our work makes.
Success Story - MichaelWhen I was 13, I was the kind of student that was scared to speak my mind and make mistakes. Occasionally a tentative hand would be half-raised in the air - only to sink back down again - as premonitions of embarrassment would override my curiosity.
Little did I know, my History teacher at the time, Ms. Britton, had observed my lack of confidence and put me forward for a programme run by Speakers Trust.
Whilst by no means a natural, I worked very hard over the course of 6 weeks to prepare for the inter-borough finale of the programme, a public speaking competition held at Citigroup's Headquarters in Canary Wharf.
I didn't win.
Or did I?
Since completing that programme I have jumped at the opportunity to speak in public at any event, and to anyone.
Speakers Trust taught me how to communicate effectively, and it was not long before my confidence in front of a group of people seeped into my everyday personality, simultaneously raising my ambition and determination to do well in life.
I can't thank them enough for a course that, I honestly believe, changed my life for the better.
Do I get nervous now when speaking to a group of people? Sometimes, but I feel so distinct from the child who could barely raise his hand in lessons, that I struggle to comprehend how we are the same person.
And perhaps even more telling, my current job as a teacher (which I love!) involves standing up and speaking in front of people every day, but now I pick the students, with their hands half-up, as a teacher adamant about the importance of confidence as a precursor to success.
- Michael is now the lead teacher for the Speakers Trust programme in his school.
Success Story - AntoniaI am an introvert. In school plays I was always counted on to be crowd person number 2, shepherd number 3 and in our rendition of Lion King (I really outdid myself) lion number 1. It always troubled me, as looked up at my friends on the stage who played roles like Simba and the Baby Jesus in awe. "How could you stand there and speak in front of all those people?“ I grew up understanding that I simply was not 'able to do that' because I was not as loud, not as boisterous and not as confident.
Everyone has the potential to do whatever they want to do, it just requires you to believe in your own ability and the support of people that guide you through your development and give you the skills that you implement. I am an introvert yet I spoke in front of 1,000 people, on a west end stage and had the joy of sharing my message. All the wasted years of playing shepherd 3, the missed opportunities, not applying for roles in the student council due to fear that I would have to speak in assembly. I settled for believing I wasn't cut out for public speaking simply because no one had given me the chance. It just takes someone to show you what you are capable of.
The workshop at my school opened me up to public speaking. It started the demolition of the fear I had for speaking in front of people as I had an epiphany. Without being a good speaker how could I possibly influence successful change, discussion; controversy even. I realised the importance of public speaking because you may have ingenious ideas, innovative and evolutionary but if you truly want to make a change you need to lead that change and how can you if no one can hear your ideas?
Without the decision to go to the regional final the string of events that have made me the person I am today would never have occurred. I would not have met the talented and diverse young people all around London and Essex who inspire me so much, all of whom I can see as the great and fair leaders for the next generation (who will lower taxes, save the NHS and start the ball rolling for the colonisation of mars) and I wouldn't have developed a love for public speaking.
It has inspired me to utilise every opportunity because you just don't where it will lead. I don't know what I want to be when I am older but I do know who I want to be: someone who speaks out against political injustices, encourages debate and no longer is crowd person number 3 because your voice is not heard in a crowd and I will never become silent about the things that matter ever again.
About us
Please a take moment to watch this video from Dwayne talking about being a Care Experienced Young Person. Our YouTube channel has over 1000000 views and you can watch more speeches from young people here!
About Us
Speakers Trust is a charity dedicated to training young people to become more effective communicators and to provide opportunities for them to share their perspectives in public.
Established for 15 years we bring the benefit of confident communication to targeted groups in state schools, focusing on some of the most deprived areas in the country.
Speakers Trust now works in one in every five state secondary schools, primarily across London, the South, the Midlands and Yorkshire. We also work with youth organisations across the country to support their staff and beneficiaries have their stories heard. We help everyone who takes part in our training to become better communicators, with a greater awareness of the importance of speaking out. This improves education and employment prospects as well as the desire to use the power of their voice to bring positive change. Once participants see that they can overcome their fear of public speaking and use their voice to effect change, they are empowered to achieve across a range of areas, with benefits spreading to the school, home, and workplace, enabling social mobility.What do we do?
We have over 15 years of experience in providing high quality, professionally delivered interactive workshops and education resources. We deliver full day public speaking workshops and organise Ted style speaking events to give young people the opportunity to develop their speaking skills and to amplify their message.
Our programmes are recognised for excellence, by participants, by teachers and most recently by the Department for Education which featured our programmes in its guidance to schools on Character Education.Why do we exist?
For too many young people their future is dictated by where they’re from and not what they’re capable of. Oracy and communication are commonplace in the private school system, yet young people from under privileged backgrounds often leave school without the opportunities or confidence to have their voice and opinion heard.
Our work levels the playing field, ensuring that all young people have the skills, confidence and opportunity to have a voice and thrive in life.Who do we work with?
We work in over 600 state secondary schools in England concentrating our efforts in the most deprived areas of the UK. The young people we work with are the young people who are too often underestimated and whose voices are least heard in society.
In addition to our work in schools, we partner with other voluntary organisations to reach young people who have experienced specific challenges in their lives as well as working with the members of staff, trustees and volunteers. We develop their confidence and provide a platform to tell their story to inspire peers, make change in their community and have the best chances of having their story or the story of their organisation heard.
If you have any questions, ideas or comments we would love to hear from you!