Learning to Speak Your Mind

Context and needs

Fear of speaking in front of a group is one of the most widespread fears among young people, and one of the easiest to reduce through practice. School rarely offers opportunities to practise. Job interviews, presentations and any form of civic participation, however, demand it constantly.

Objectives

The project aimed to develop the participants’ public speaking and debating skills, to teach a simple speech structure, to practise argumentation and active listening, and to build confidence in one’s own voice in an intercultural setting.

Activities

Two youth exchanges in Bodo, each of about ten days. Short training sessions on speech structure, voice and posture techniques, managing emotions and the debate format, followed by a lot of practice: one-minute speeches, team debates, interview simulations, filmed presentations analysed together. The topics came from the participants’ lives: education, the environment, youth participation in decision-making.

Results and impact

The project received the award for the best international project in Timiș County at the 2017 Youth Projects Gala. Participants saw their own progress on the recordings from the beginning and the end, and left with Youthpass certificates.

Materials and resources

The full photo album of the project is published on our Facebook page.