Speakers Trust Success

On Tuesday 7th July, Chailey School competed against five other Sussex schools in the Speak Out Challenge Regional Final, held at the Old Market Theatre in Hove.

Following the Speak Out Challenge workshop in March, and the subsequent assembly final where Ella and Arthur were selected as finalists to present their speeches at the Regional Final, this event was the culmination of all of the students’ hard work and dedication in crafting their speeches, learning their speeches, and honing their performance of them.

In addition to family, friends, and supporters cheering on the speakers, the ten participants were also being watched by the judges. The five judges came from a range of different backgrounds and career paths: Jo Hambleton, the Assistant Principal of Varndean College; Brighton and Hove City Councillor Mohammed Asaduzzaman; the winner of last year’s Sussex Speak Out Challenge, Nyra Hussain; Joe Rich, Head of Youth Voice for the National Lottery Community Fund, and Ruth Pryce, trustee of the Ferdinando and Luigi Innocenti Foundation. Despite their diverse backgrounds, the judges were united in the message they gave to the students before they began their speeches: to speak from the heart, be true to themselves, and let their passion shine through.

This echoes the ethos of The Speaker’s Trust, whose aim is to find, encourage, and provide platforms for young people’s voices. The Speak Out Challenge is a truly empowering experience for young people who get to speak about a topic that, crucially, is important to them as individuals.

The topics the students had chosen ranged from the political – gender roles, racial discrimination and prejudice, equality – to the more personal, such as a battle with anxiety, and even to the humorous call for a ban on discussing politics over Christmas dinner!

Arthur kick-started the competition with his edifying speech that implored the audience to focus on the shared characteristics, emotions and experiences that unite us, rather than fixating on differences that might divide us. Arthur skilfully blended references to psychology, politics and literature to make his case that, despite any differences, we are ultimately more alike as humans than we realise.

Despite the fierce competition, we were so incredibly proud that Ella’s moving, impassioned speech was awarded a well-deserved place in the top three line-up, with her taking third place. Ella delivered her speech with a poise and maturity far beyond her years and fervently urged the audience to stop comparing themselves to others and to instead embrace their own uniqueness. Ella’s inspiring speech denounced conformity and celebrated the individual, ending on the poignant message that we are all already enough just as we are.

It was a privilege to see our Chailey students representing the school and embodying our school values of independence, creativity, and resilience. Both students remained calm and composed under the considerable pressure of the competition and presented inspiring messages in an engaging, articulate manner. We are so incredibly proud of their achievement.