Youths speak out about teenage issues at Willesden school event
Evening allowed pupils to air their views
Students in Brent were given a platform to air their views on a range of subjects during a special ceremony..
Hosted by Capital City Academy in Doyle Gardens, Willesden, the event saw six pupils take to the stage to speak out on issues that affected their lives.
The evening formed the regional final of the Jack Petchey Speak Out Award, a London wide initiative, funded by the Jack Petchey Foundation to encourage public speaking within youths.
The students, who are all in year ten, were specifically chosen from schools across Brent to benefit from the chance to improve their public speaking.
More than 120 people packed in to the school to witness the speeches on a variety of issues ranging from bullying, Iraq and not portraying a false persona.
All received a certificate commemorating their performance. Naura Egboh Ogbe, a Capital Academy student, was crowned the winner for her speech on bullying and will now have the chance to progress the grand final in July. The overall winner will receive a cash bond of �2000 as well as �3000 for their school.
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Kymberlie Andrew, regional co-ordinator for the project praised the scheme.
She said: “It provides a great opportunity for young people to quite literally speak out when they might not have previously had the chance.
“More importantly it also empowers them and gives them the hope that somebody is listening to them.”
Jack Petchey was a successful businessman who hailed from a working class background in East London.
He set up the Jack Petchey Foundation in 1999, to give opportunities to young Londoners aged 11-25 and has since donated more than �65m to schools, clubs and projects to benefit young people.
