On 1st March, ‘Jack Petchey’s “Speak Out” Challenge!’ came to Nonsuch High School. Twenty-four girls put their names forward to be part of the challenge in the hope of developing their speaking and listening skills and, ultimately, winning £2000 for themselves and £3000 for their school in the Grand Final of the competition.
Jack Petchey (born in 1925) is from a working-class background, but is now one of the UK’s most lucrative businessmen. In 1999 he established ‘The Jack Petchey Foundation’ in order to give young people across London opportunities and rewards for their achievements. So far, he has donated £70 million to various deserving organisations. ‘Jack Petchey’s “Speak Out” Challenge!’- the world’s biggest youth speaking event- sends trainers to schools to complete speaking and listening workshops. These workshops help participants develop their communicating skills, which are essential in later life. One partaker at Nonsuch said “It was a really useful workshop, I feel as if I have made significant progress in my speaking and listening skills. It has also helped develop my confidence- I never thought I would be able to speak in front of so many people!”
The students enjoyed a lesson free day, instead learning how to deliver a speech effectively: they incorporated the techniques they learnt throughout the day into their final orations. The topics discussed were often controversial, and ranged from fruit to smoking. Five people were selected from the session to perform in school assemblies, and from there one will be chosen to perform at St Philomena’s in the Regional Final.
In the summer, the Grand Final will take place, were a winner will be selected from the 1000s of students who took part in the initial workshops. Taking part in ‘Jack Petchey’s “Speak Out” Challenge!” looks fantastic on a CV, whether you were the overall winner or just involved in the preliminary stages, proving how valuable speaking and listening skills are and showing the difference ‘The Jack Petchey Foundation’ is making.
