The Speak Up Yorkshire Programme aims to make a huge difference in the lives of young people across the region.
In announcing an expansion and extension of Speakers Trust’s work in Yorkshire, Chief Executive, Russell Findlay said
“Before the pandemic we saw education inequalities that impacted young people from deprived backgrounds. Our data shows that these young people are twenty per cent more likely to lack the confidence to speak publicly. This has such a negative impact on young people’s life chances. The pandemic has just made the situation worse. This is why we are delighted to be extending our work in Yorkshire over the next two years.”
The work will be made possible through our partnership with 3i, the Private equity firm. Staff from across the organisation will be supporting our workshops, reinforcing the importance of communication skills in the workplace and providing role models.
During this programme, Speakers Trust will be delivering 100 full day public speaking and communication skills workshops in schools across the whole of Yorkshire. Using rigorous impact data, these workshops have been shown that, by giving young people a voice, we improve their education and employment prospects, we amplify unheard stories to bring communities together.
Over the next two years, we aim to reach 5,400 young people, especially in areas of greatest need. The workshops will be delivered in person by expert communication skills trainers and supported by 3i volunteers who will share their experience and expertise with the young people. To ensure that no young person misses out on the opportunity we will offer an additional 100 state secondary schools in Yorkshire access to our online training resources reaching a further 50,000 young people. We will end each year with a high profile ‘TED Style’ youth speaking event with all schools invited to take part.
To get your school involved, please contact us