Who runs the world? Girls.
“What I took away is that, with practice, you can get better, no matter how shy you may feel at the start. I feel pretty comfortable with public speaking now.”
~ Bridget Repose, Warwick Academy
Investing in the women of the future
WeSpeak's goal is to significantly expand its efforts with its teen outreach by offering Teen Boot Camps and training events to reach as many young women as possible. Working through Bermuda's high school and middle schools, youth attendees are by their teachers to learn about the mechanics of public-speaking, and to practice skills such as power poses, breathing and visualisation exercises to help overcome anxiety often associated with speaking in public. Similar to the adult boot camps, they also participate in small coach-led sessions to develop their public-speaking skills in breakout workshops through the day. The outcome is to inspire young women to project their voices with courage and confidence.
Measuring our Impact
WeSpeak's first teen boot camp was hosted in 2023 and encompassed students aged 15 to 17 years old from seven schools, including BHS, the Berkeley Institute, Bermuda Institute, Mount Saint Agnes Academy, Saltus Grammar School, Somersfield Academy, and Warwick Academy. Students were coached by WeSpeak coaches and learned the ‘3Cs’ of public speaking: confidence, competence, and calm. These skills are incredibly beneficial, as they can be applied in both small settings (speaking in front of class) and large (auditoriums with audiences), empowering them to project their voice in any room.
The impact from the day was astounding:
At the start of the day, 86% of students said their feelings ranged from nervous to anxious and/or terrified at the thought of standing up and speaking publicly. At the end of the day, 83% of students said they felt ok or confident with public speaking.
Over 70% of students said that the boot camp helped them to feel more confident speaking publicly
In just six hours, feelings about public speaking moved from ‘anxious’ to ‘confident’.
“WeSpeak Teen is so excited to have hosted our first Boot Camp—we’re proud of all the young women who attended and their willingness to step outside of their comfort zones. There was so much positive energy in the room, and in just six hours, feelings about public speaking moved from ‘anxious’ to ‘confident,’ which is incredible considering this is just the start of their public-speaking journey. We feel privileged to have been a part of that.”
~ Sarah Dunstan, WeSpeak Teen Committee Chair
WeSpeak secures its teen boot campers through Bermuda's schools networks. If you work in education, get in touch to learn more about our teen boot camps.
I feel pretty comfortable public speaking now
“What I took away is that, with practice, you can get better, no matter how shy you may feel at the start—I feel pretty comfortable with public speaking now.”
~ Bridget Repose, Warwick Academy
“I learned you have a lot more similarities to other people than you might think, and the way you’re feeling…someone else might be feeling the same way, too. As long as you’re confident, you may have to fake it ’til you make it, but it’s worth it—and you might even get some new friends out of it.”
Someone else might be feeling the same way
~ Tamara Dean, The Berkeley Institute
Being able to think on my feet and be calm
“Today, I took away from this event just being able to think on my feet and be calm, even when you don’t have a lot of time to prepare."
~ Ryanna King, Bermuda Institute.
Proved to be an awesome opportunity
"WeSpeak Teen’s Boot Camp proved to be an awesome opportunity for high-school girls to be empowered to improve their public-speaking skills. I’m grateful to have been a part of this event, and it was wonderful to witness these young women transition from quiet and shy in the morning to confident and volunteering to speak in front of the entire group by the afternoon.
~ Keisha Allen-Smith, Director of Staff Development & Instruction, The Berkeley Institute
