Speaker's Corner
Launch a Speaker’s Corner at your school where students can express, discuss and debate their views on timely topics.
You may have heard about speaker’s corners, which are open-air places where people come to make speeches and discuss and debate issues that are important to them. The most famous speaker’s corner in the world is in Hyde Park in London, but speaker’s corners have cropped up across the world.
Are you a person that loves debating issues with your friends in an unstructured, lively way? If so, you should think about starting your own speaker’s corner. You can establish whatever rules you want, just make sure that it is expressly established that the topics for discussion (and the discussions themselves) are appropriate and inoffensive and conform to whatever rules govern speech and communication at your school and in your community. Your organization can be in person (as in a club that meets at regular intervals) or virtual. For the latter, think about creating a website through your school where students can post videos of themselves giving speeches on topics. Then challenge peers to post their own retorts and responses. It’s a modern twist on a tradition with a lot of history.
How do I get started? Download our PDF for more information on how to launch an ongoing event-based project.
How do I expand this narrative arc?
Organize a Youth Town Hall to bring together students and local leaders for a discussion of timely issues.
For a teen that is interested in student government, politics and policy, this would be a great project to combine with Rock the Vote.
Publish opinion pieces in your school newspaper. Better yet, submit them to one of the many writing competitions sponsored by The New York Times.
Consider one of the many summer programs run by The New York Times Summer Academy, including Whistleblower Journalism in D.C.
HOT TIP: To be successful you’ll really need to plan and execute this project well (think: foundational documents, clear rules and expectations, and lots of promotion). This is an interesting opportunity for a teen that is interested in Speech and Debate, Model UN and even student government.