Celebration ceremony for Brighton & Hove Young Speakers Challenge

Brighton & Hove City Council, in collaboration with 8 local secondary schools and the University of Sussex, created the challenge to help young people from across the city to develop confidence and public speaking skills.

The Brighton & Hove Young Speakers Challenge launched in February at Blatchington Mill School, the project’s lead school, and was followed by a series of events at participating schools.

The challenge consisted of an oracy training programme and inter-school competition. Pupils also visited the Mooting Room at the University of Sussex on 19 and 20 March.

One student from each participating school was selected to deliver a short speech, rap, poem or spoken word performance on the theme of ‘In My World’ at a celebration event at the University of Sussex, following a series of in-school heats and workshops.

A voting system was in place on the day, with the audience voting for a winner after all the performances had taken place.

The winner was Mohammad Hamam from Blatchington Mill School, whose performance was on the theme of ‘My Heritage’.

Polina Hrom from Dorothy Stringer came in second place with a performance exploring ‘My Experience of War’, while in third place was Poppie-Jay Huntingford from Longhill High School with a performance about individuality.

Councillor Emma Daniel, Cabinet member for Children, Families and Youth Services, said: “I’m delighted that the very first class of Brighton & Hove Young Speakers Challenge came together to recognise their achievements last week.

“This uplifting and inspirational event celebrated oracy skills, with moving speeches and performances from young people from across the city.

“The Brighton & Hove Young Speakers Challenge is a fantastic opportunity for students to build confidence, develop important life skills and express themselves creatively, so we hope to continue offering this programme to our young people in the future.”

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Mohammad Hamam, the winner of the Brighton & Hove Young Speakers Challenge, said: “I feel like I have gained confidence in speaking in public and I feel that’s a really important skill. I have really enjoyed learning this.”

Annie Stone, head of English at Blatchington Mill School and the project lead, said: “The Brighton & Hove Young Speakers Challenge is much more than a public speaking competition.

“It is a citywide, collaborative training programme designed to improve the spoken communication of students across the city, equipping our young people with skills that will last them a lifetime. The initiative is also a partnership project between schools, the council and the University of Sussex.

“The exceptional progress, courage and enthusiasm we’ve seen from all students just goes to show the power of collaboration and the remarkable outcomes we can achieve when working together towards a shared vision. I am so proud of everyone involved.”