Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most profound. Last year Daniel, one of the thousands of young people we empower to speak out each year, gave a speech about the environment with a simple but compelling point.
Humans are becoming less connected with nature, as more and more people live in cities, and this means that we stop valuing it as much. The lock downs and the lack of accessibility of the countryside has made this an even more striking issue over the last year. But Daniel had a message for all of us “If we make it easier for people to connect with nature, then we will care for and protect our environment”
Empowered with the ability and confidence to communicate effectively, we are sure that Daniel will be able to use his voice to make a difference to climate change.
It seems young people agree with us. The Tree Council recently reported that 89% of those under eighteen believe that young people can make a difference on climate change.
And this week we have begun to work together to connect Daniel’s speech imploring people to reconnect with nature with the idea that when empowered, young people can make a difference to Climate Change.
We are working the Tree Council and M&G to deliver a package of teacher training, resources and student workshops that will empower students to speak out about their passion for the natural world. Working with 20 schools, from Southampton to Stirling, We will be training students from just 8 years old to find their voices and share their message.
Every young person will have the chance to share their speeches with peers, teachers and volunteers and selected speeches will go through to a national competition. The programme will culminate in a digital Festival .
For us at Speakers Trust, the value of the project goes beyond connecting young people with nature. We are seeing an amazing seeing impact through offering training in Oracy to pupils as young as 8.
As Ms Newman, from St Albans CofE Primary school said “It was an inspirational experience. We learned so much about ourselves and one another and the journey made by our pupils was incredible. It was genuinely uplifting to see pupils find their voice and see their confidence grow.”
Our Impact Measurement results back this up. 90% of students felt the workshop helped them speak in front of groups and 85% of students have discovered more about their classmates, by introducing this oracy intervention. 100% of teachers said that students had learned skills which would support them across the curriculum.
Embedding Oracy into schools’ curricula is a key part of our strategy to ensure that every young person leaves school with the confidence and skills to Speak and Be Head. To read more about the programme, see our Speaking Up for Trees and Nature Programme Page
Oh and that speech from Daniel