Young Speakers inspire social and environmental action among peers

A pilot scheme training secondary school students to inspire younger pupils to improve the environment and community is proving more effective than some traditional teacher-led lessons.

The Young Speakers programme is funded by the Aldridge Foundation and v the youth volunteering organisation and run by the social action organisation We Are What We Do. So far it has trained 450 students at 26 secondary schools and FE colleges across four regions (London, North West, Midlands and the South West) to speak to 71,000 primary school children.

Student volunteers are given professional public-speaking training, tailored for teenagers, and an engaging presentation designed to make young people think about their place in the world. The main message is how small individual actions can make a big difference.

Ideas which have proved popular with students include ‘taking your dad for a walk’ rather than driving, ‘teaching your granny to text’ so she doesn’t feel alone, ‘feed your food scraps to a goat’ instead of the bin, and simply turning off your mobile at night or brushing your teeth with less water.

According to an independent evaluation from the Institute for Policy Studies in Education (IPSE) at London Metropolitan University, young people have responded positively to the peer-to-peer talks. 

Becky, aged 18, from the Darwen Aldridge Community Academy (DACA), in Lancashire, says:

“The kids really enjoy the presentation we give in schools. They say they’re now turning off lights, picking up litter in the playground and taking their dads for a walk. I think it’s better having someone your own age talking about this stuff …it would seem a bit dictatorial and off-putting if a teacher ‘told’ you to do it.”

The report says the scheme has been most successful where teachers have been engaged and supportive. It has had the most significant impact on students from disadvantaged areas, those lacking self-confidence and communication skills.

One teacher says her student Young Speakers have ‘totally blossomed.’ She explains that while she had had to ‘step in’ during some of the students’ early presentations because they were ‘losing their way’, once they had gained more experience they ‘have obviously got better and l can just sit down and don’t do anything.’ The Young Speaker’s programme had been, she said, ‘a fantastic thing for their confidence, their cohesion, their empathy and sort of working with different people that they wouldn’t normally choose to work with.’

Shy students say it has boosted their confidence and ability to speak to others in formal situations. Sarah, aged 18, says:  “I used to be very introverted but now I’m really happy to speak in front of all kinds of people. I used to think people would laugh at me if I stood up and spoke but now I actually enjoy it. I think having these techniques and knowing that you’re helping someone else gives you that confidence.”

The Aldridge Foundation believes that helping young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to develop these communications skills will help them gain employment and instil an entrepreneurial mindset which will help them succeed in life.

Rod Aldridge, entrepreneur and Chair of the Aldridge Foundation, says: “Employers say school leavers are woefully lacking in the basic communication skills that are needed in job interviews and in the workplace. We believe the Young Speakers programme can give young people the confidence to succeed in work and inspire their peers to be entrepreneurial in creating solutions to the social and environmental issues that will affect their adult lives.”

Howard McWilliam, Head of Sixth Form at DACA, says: “This programme is of value not just in Citizenship lessons but as a core skill to teach all students – especially the less confident – so that they can engage in all lessons across the curriculum.”

The charity WAWWD now hopes that other schools will consider using the Young Speakers programme to train more students across the country.

WAWWD manager Director Nick Stanhope says: "We're very proud to have worked with The Aldridge Foundation and v to give over 400 young people the skills, the confidence and the opportunities to stand up in front of an audience and inspire them to do more for their community and for the world. The impact on the Young Speakers, the children and their schools has been amazing and over the next five years we plan to take these benefits to communities all over the country."

Other Young Speakers quotes:

“A lot of the Actions as well link both, so like the Walk your Dad one is like socially going for a walk with someone you enjoy spending time with, but also not using a car and helping the environment so I think it’s good in that way.”

"I can tell that the presentations had an impact, because the ideas they came up with were amazing, and when you hear them say what you told them in their own words it feels great. One of the feedbacks from a primary school we went to was that the children were picking up litter in the playground and turning off lights after we left.”

“I think if an older person came in and talked to them, they would be a bit like, ‘Oh, lecturing us!’ but because it’s your peers you’re friendly with them all.”

“The WORST things were when people didn’t completely believe in changing the world and the BEST things were changing their minds.”

“There were some challenges, as obviously some of the pupils were more difficult to convince and some of them had comebacks to the points we made, and at first this knocked our confidence a little but with experience we learnt how to overcome this.”

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Media Enquiries:

The Aldridge Foundation – Petra Coveney Communications Director petra.coveney@aldridgefoundation.com or tel: 0207 9257905

WAWWD - Lucia Komljen Communications Director lucia.komljen@wearewhatwedo.org or tel: 0207 9361272

Notes to Editor

The Aldridge Foundation promotes entrepreneurship in education, sponsors two academies with an entrepreneurship specialism and funds projects that instil the entrepreneurial attributes: passion, creativity, problem-solving, team working, risk taking and determination. For more information visit www.aldridgefoundation.com

WAWWD We Are What We Do is a not-for-profit social movement which encourages individuals to take small actions that will make a big difference socially and environmentally. Founded in 1994, We Are What We Do has published three titles, Change The World For A Fiver which sold over one million copies world wide, Change The World 9 to 5 which was launched by David Cameron in 2006 and Teach Your Granny To Text which was given to every school in the country by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) as a teaching resource. A collaboration with Anya Hindmarch and Sainsbury’s in 2007 launched the I am NOT a Plastic Bag shopper, taking the issues onto the front pages and helping Sainsbury’s reduce the number of free carrier bags issued by 58% in the following two years. WeAreWhatWeDo.org features over 150 simple, positive everyday actions anyone can do to and track. – the current most popular actions include Hug someone, Cook a meal from scratch, Use a mug not a plastic cup and Read a story with your child.