St Joseph’s take on The Speakout Challenge

On Friday 30 Year 10 students were given the chance to enter the Speakout challenge, which is the oldest public speaking competition in the world.

This was a full day workshop in which the boys practised their delivery, developed their writing and ultimately stood up in front of their peers to deliver a speech on a topic of their choice.

This was the first step of the competition. Six were chosen for the next round which will consist of developing their speeches and delivering them in front of a Year group. From there, a student will be picked to represent the college and will compete at a regional final in March. The grand final will be held in a West End Theatre with a big cash prize so good luck to our eventual college representative!

All the staff involved were hugely impressed by the quality of the speeches but also by the passion in which the students delivered them. There was a real focus on the day on storytelling and communicating a powerful life message.

Some of the highlights focused on how AI should be seen as a tool for good, how football isn’t just a game and the importance in patience and never giving up. Well done to everyone who participated.