Suffolk Young Speaker of the Year 2025 (Registration)
An opportunity for children and young people to share their ideas and vision for their world through the art of spoken communication.
Date and time
Location
Kesgrave War Memorial Community Centre
Twelve Acre Approach Kesgrave IP5 1JF United KingdomRefund Policy
Agenda
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Arrival, registration and welcome in Ropes Hall
3:00 PM - 3:50 PM
Heats Block 1
3:50 PM - 6:10 PM
Break
4:10 PM - 5:00 PM
Heats Block 2
3:50 PM - 4:10 PM
Break for entrants
4:10 PM - 5:00 PM
Judges deliberation
5:20 PM - 5:30 PM
Announcement of Heats winners
5:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Break for entrants, and Public Registration
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Welcome to the Young Speaker of the Year Final in Ropes Hall
7:00 PM - 7:20 PM
Judges deliberations
7:20 PM
Announcement of the Young Speaker of the Year 2025
7:30 PM
Event close
About this event
- Event lasts 5 hours
- Free venue parking
The Suffolk Young Speaker of the Year event is a platform for children and young people to share their view of the world through the art and power of spoken word.
Supported by ASSET Education, our purpose in it's short form is to "nurture humanity". We believe this means developing children and young people's agency, giving them opportunities to articulate their hopes, dreams and demands for their future. As members of Ipswich Social Mobiliity Alliance (ISMA) we made a commitment in the current ISMA action plan to create more opportunities for children and young people to be heard and develop their public speaking skills.
This event has been designed by the ASSET Alumni - young people that have left ASSET primary schools to go on to secondary school, and continue to work with us on community based Youth Social Action. You will see them running the event on the day!
To enter you can be a young person aged between 7 and 19, or up to 25 if you have a special educational need or disability; and living, studying or working in Suffolk.
You will need to prepare two 3-minute speeches: the first should be chosen from one of the categories below, and will be delivered in the afternoon "heats". Everyone will get to give their first speech. The second speech willl only be delivered in the evening final to an invited audience if you are one of three people in your heat chosen to go through to the final. At the end of the final one speaker will be chosen by the judges to be the Young Speaker of the Year 2025!
Choose to deliver a speech in any of the following four "heats":
- My passion, hobby or sport
- Media and Technology
- Mental Health
- The environment
The topic for speeches in the final is "What I need for my future (Hopes and Dreams)"
Speeches can be delivered in any spoken word format - you can use poetry or rap as well as traditional prose, but they must last 3 minutes. The FAQs below give more detail about the speeches themselves.
Young people in full time education can only attend accompanied by an appropriate adult - this might be a member of staff from school or college, a parent, or a volunteer or staff member from your club, church or voluntary organisation.
Registration
You can register one of two ways:
If you would like to pay the registration fee of £12 online (this helps us to cover the cost of the venue) you can book now on Eventbrite. We will then send you the link asking for further details about the young person.
Alternatively, we can invoice your school or organisation, in which case you can register on our website at: https://www.asseteducation.co.uk/suffolk-young-speaker-of-the-year.
Places are confirmed upon payment, and the registration fee is non-refundable.
Full information for attendees and accompanying adults including agenda, risk assessments and detailed guidance for speakers will be sent out after registration.
The Suffolk Young Speaker of the Year Event is kindly sponsored by:
Frequently asked questions
If you are in Year 11 or below you should be registered by your school, college or another organisation such as a club or church. Young people working or studying after Year 11 may register themselves if they prefer, but you must pay the £12 registration at the time of booking.
faith.bennett@asseteducation.co.uk
You should be a young person living in, or at school or college in Suffolk.
Yes. If you are thinking of using anything large or unexpected let us know so that we can accommodate it.
No, we are harnessing the power of the spoken word in this event! The exception is for young people who are using sign language or speaking in a language other than English and using presentation slides to translate.
Your audience will want to understand the content of your speech, and while many may speak a variety of languages it’s fair to assume that English will be the predominantly understood language in the room, and we would encourage you to use English, or provide translation.
You should practice and time your speech so that you are confident that it is long enough. If you go over 3 minutes you will be discreetly shown an orange card. If you go over 4 minutes you will be asked to finish your speech.
Absolutely, as with any other language than English, you will need to arrange for translation for the audience. This could be presentation slides which your accompanying person can click through as you speak, you can use an accompanying audio track or your accompanying person can translate for you
The venue is all on one floor, with good parking and easy access into the building. If you have specific support needs let us know at info@asseteducation.co.uk. You can also contact the venue if you have questions on 01473 612648
Yes - If you are in Year 11 or below you must bring an appropriate adult to accompany you - this could be a parent or member of staff/volunteer from a club or church that you attend. If you are working or studying beyond Year 11 you may bring a friend or adult to support you.
Yes, this is open to the public.
Organized by
ASSET Education is a very special education trust with 14 schools across Suffolk. Our core purpose is "Nurturing Humanity" and our vision is to equip and empower the next generation of children to create a more compassionate, equitable and sustainable world where they personally and collectively thrive.
Home to the award winning approach to wellbeing: the Complete Human Strategy - find out more at www.complethumanstrategy.co.uk