Nurturing Humanity - Suffolk Young Speaker of the Year

Nurturing Humanity

Suffolk Young Speaker of the Year Awards 2025

Enter here

Wednesday 11th June 2025

Heats from 2.30pm

Final (Open to Public) 6pm - 7.30pm

Kesgrave War Memorial Community Centre, Ipswich

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.

At ASSET Education, our purpose in its 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 Mobility Alliance (ISMA) we made a commitment in the current ISMA action plan to create more opportunities for children and young people across Suffolk - not just those in ASSET schools - to be heard and develop their public speaking skills.

This event has been designed by our ASSET Alumni - young people who 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!

Sponsor us

If you are an organisation with a presence in Suffolk you can sponsor the Awards evening - either as a Category Sponsor in one of our afternoon heats, or as an event Main Sponsor. If you would like to sponsor this event contact Ben.Gough@asseteducation.co.uk. More details here.

Enter as a young person

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 one of the following four categories in our afternoon "heats":

My passion, hobby or sport
Media and Technology
Mental Health
The environment

Winners in each of the category heats will go through to speak at the evening final. The topic for speeches in the final is "What I need for my future (Hopes and Dreams)". All entrants can attend the final and listen to the speeches.

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

To enter you can register here, this should be done by an adult at your school or club if you are Year 11 or below. Young people in Sixth Form, College or work can register themselves. Registration costs £12 - this helps us to cover the cost of the venue. Your school or organisation can ask for an invoice to be sent or you can ask on the form for a link to pay online. 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 soon after registration.

Enter here

Frequently Asked Questions:

I am a young person - can I register myself?

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.

How do I contact you?

faith.bennett@asseteducation.co.uk

Do I have to live in Suffolk?

You should be a young person living in, or at school or college in Suffolk.

Can I use props in my speech?

Yes. If you are thinking of using anything large or unexpected let us know so that we can accommodate it.

Can I use slides with my speech?

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.

So I have to speak in English?

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.

What happens if my speech is not 3 minutes?

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.

Can I use sign language only?

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

Is the venue accessible?

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

Can I bring someone with me?

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.