- 84,132 students trained to date in public speaking and effective communication. 398,733 have heard them Speak Out
- "Great, great, great! This Challenge has built up my confidence massively!" Michael, Barnet
- £15,000 prize fund including 36 iPods and thousands of pounds worth of iTunes vouchers!
- "I've never had an iPod so thanks so much! It does so much more than I realised!!" Rianna, Chelmsford
- On track for 50,000+ unique website visitors this year
- "I completed the workshop at Mill Hill County High School in 2008. All the skills I learnt that day have helped me during sixth form and now university." Sara, Harrow
- Increase in confidence grows to 59.5%
- "Thank you ever so much for such an extraordinary experience and essential life skills training. It was certainly worth it!" Olumide, Newham
- 100% of teachers recommend the day to colleagues
- "A wonderful GCSE speaking and listening tool!" - Mr Fowler, Teacher, Islington
- 70% of schools now holding "Speak Out "Assemblies! - Over 50,000 students spectating.
- "The public speaking tips cascaded down to all Year 10 students" - Vinsia Mc Queen, London
- Students have spoken out on over 2000 topics and issues from Alcoholism to Xenophobia - here are the most recent top 5
- Stereotyping of young people, achievements, parents, knife crime and size zero
- "What we say is important... for in most cases the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." Jim Beggs
2011 Gala Grand Final - Friday 8th July 2011
The highlight of the year, the Jack Petchey "Speak Out" Challenge Gala Grand Final, was held on Friday 8th July 2011 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, London.
The crown went to Najae Hackett from City of London Academy in Southwark with his entertaining and insightful speech on 'Sleep – our secret weapon’. Along with his title of "Speak Out" Champion 2011, Najae won a cash bond of £2000 for himself PLUS £3000 for his school.
Runner-up this year was Megan Cass from St Philomena’s School in Sutton talking about 'Frankly my dear...'. Megan took home a cheque for £250.
Third place went to Joel Oyelese from Westcliff High School for Boys, Essex. Joel’s speech on ’Show Compassion’ won him a cheque for £150.
Nathan Nwachukwu came fourth and received a cheque for £100. Nathan, from Chafford School in Havering, spoke with wit and intelligence on ’I am an onion’ - a speech about being mixed race.
The evening was a huge success, summed up by a comment from the Head Judge, The Right Honourable John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons: "This event is a tribute to Jack Petchey who for the last ten years, through his Foundation, has been providing opportunities and betterment to young people across London and Essex. The speakers have been quite outstanding and it was extremely difficult reaching a decision. The range of topics was broad and well conceived. This has been a stellar performance, an uplifting experience and the challenge deserves to get bigger."
To read about the final from a judge's point of view, follow this link for a entertaining blog from Grand Final Judge Jeremy Nicholas: http://www.iaindale.com/posts/when-sleep-talks
2010 Gala Grand Final - Friday 9th July 2010
The highlight of the year, the Jack Petchey "Speak Out" Challenge Gala Grand Final, was held on Friday 9th July 2010 at the Mermaid Conference & Events Centre, London.
The crown went to Idris Sobande from Central Foundation School in Islington with his entertaining yet thought provoking speech on 'Are you ready' asking whether the world was ready for a black James Bond. Along with his title of "Speak Out" Champion 2010, Idris won a cash bond of £2000 for himself PLUS £3000 for his school.
Runner-up this year was Mae-Li Evans from Haggerston School in Hackney talking about ...'Procrastination'. Mae-Li took home a cheque for £250.
Third place went to Mayward Martindale from Norbury Manor Business and Enterprise College, Croydon. Mayward's moving and emotional speech on 'The Cruelty of War' won her a cheque for £150.
Max Winston came fourth and received a cheque for £100. Max, from JFS in Brent, spoke with wit and intelligence on 'Not even semi important' - a speech about the semi-colon!
The final winner on the night was Ian Tasker from The Royal Docks Community School in Newham. Ian won the 'Teacher of the Year' award for his outstanding effort in supporting the "Speak Out" Challenge and took home a cheque for £200 to spend on any school project of his choice.
The evening was a huge success, summed up by a comment from one of the judges, Dr Zoe Williams aka Sky One's Gladiator 'Amazon': "Congratulations for putting on such an excellent event. I was inspired by the youngsters - what a wonderful thing the Jack Petchey "Speak Out" Challenge is!"