How can school speakers help young people to tackle tough challenges and build resilience?
Young people need our support, and unfortunately there’s a lot of issues impacting them that educators aren’t always equipped to deal with alone.
- In 2023, the NHS reported that around 1 in 5 young people aged 8 to 25 years old had a probable mental disorder.
- 94% of children who’d carried a weapon in 2023 had seen some kind of violent content on social media.
- A 2020 report from the YMCA reported that 95% of young Black people report that they heard and witnessed the use of racist language at school.
From managing their mental health, to knife crime and racism always being in the headlines. From social media and negative body image, to struggling with identity and belonging or finding their career path. Young people have a lot to deal with.
How can school speakers be a part of the solution?
At Milk Education, we believe in learning beyond the classroom, and that school speakers can play a key role in a young person’s learning experience and their understanding of stigmatised topics.
That’s why we work alongside Make Life Kind Charity to bring their speakers’ powerful stories of inspiration, motivation, and hope to young people.
In this blog, we explain why guest speakers in schools can benefit pupils, and why the topics we cover have a lasting impact on young people, providing necessary support for them to handle difficult challenges throughout their lives.
What are the benefits of school speakers?
1. Equipping Young People with the Tools to Handle Challenges
With many challenges facing young people, it’s essential that they know how to handle them, and school speakers use their real-life insights to pass that knowledge onto pupils.
In partnership with Make Life Kind, we work with inspiring school speakers who bring their real-world experiences to young people across the country, supplying them the tools to tackle tough challenges that might come their way.
Their school speakers cover topics that aren’t always taught in school or covered in-depth. These topics aren’t always easy for teachers to explore with pupils without having real-life, first-hand experience.
2. Representation
Make Life Kind’s school speakers – the Milkfluencers – are relatable, down-to-earth people, who have overcome adversity and picked themselves up after difficult situations – some situations that many of us might find unthinkable.
Research from Education and Employers and Speakers for Schools shows that many young people feel positively about school speaker talks, with the biggest impact being on pupils who receive free school meals. 30% more of those pupils believed that “people like me” can be successful after listening to school speaker talks.
Imagine how much higher this statistic could be if those speakers were people your pupils could relate to and look up to.
It’s essential that pupils are exposed to a diverse range of people, from different backgrounds and cultures, and this can have a profound impact on them in the long –term. If pupils don’t see themselves represented, they may feel like they can’t access opportunities and may lose ambition to achieve their goals.
In today’s social media-driven world, teenagers are exposed to more content than ever before. While we can’t always police what they view online, we need to ensure that young people feel represented, knowing that success is an option for them.
3. Increases Cultural Capital and Cultural Enrichment
Cultural capital is an important part of young people’s development and education. Building cultural capital during these formative years helps pupils to achieve success and social mobility, and is made up of things such as education, skills, knowledge, and personality.
By giving pupils the tools to succeed with the help of school speakers, we can boost their cultural capital through their overall understanding of issues such as mental health, racism, LGBTQ2+ issues and disabilities.
Cultural enrichment activities are essential ways to foster a love of arts and culture in young people. Ensuring that young people have access to activities and events that inspire, motivate, and educate them are necessary to help provide a deeper appreciation for the world around them.
This doesn’t just mean reading Shakespeare or visiting the theatre – although those things are great too! Cultural enrichment isn’t limited to ‘traditional’ art forms. Sharing knowledge about diversity, inclusion, creative career paths, and sport are just a handful of topics that help to culturally enrich pupils’ lives.
Bringing guest speakers into schools gives pupils an opportunity to learn more about different cultures and life experiences, whilst equipping them with the tools to talk about and handle stigmatised topics.
4. Pupil Engagement
A recent report from the Association for School and College Leaders revealed that repairing the damage to children’s education caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will affect England’s schools until the mid-2030s.
Schools are still seeing high pupil absence rates, and it can be difficult to get young people to engage with learning, especially those with social, emotional, or mental health (SEMH) issues or special educational needs (SEND).
Post-pandemic, how can we get pupils to further engage with learning?
School speakers bring different perspectives to the typical school day and can help young people to engage with topics they might not encounter in their usual lessons.
By involving pupils in important conversations about mental health, body confidence, racism, and knife crime, for example, we can encourage them to make positive choices and follow a rewarding path.
5. Making a Long-Term Impact
The impact of having speakers in schools can be life-changing for some pupils.
Every speaker we work with gives pupils practical advice that they can take away and use in their day-to-day lives.
Whether it’s an inspiring message, or tips for helping others, each Make Life Kind school speaker brings a unique approach to their session, with the aim of engaging every pupil and making a real difference.
Our school speaker sessions have helped pupils to improve their behaviour, adjust to big changes in their lives, and embrace their individuality.
Here’s what a school had to say about one of Make Life Kind’s school speakers, Keira, and her session about resilience and mindset…
“Every child in attendance was engaged and truly engrossed by Keira’s story. She manages to blend the right level of fun, education, and inspiration in a half an hour session that leaves children inspired and full of self-belief!”
What topics do the school speakers cover?
We know that educators already have busy workloads and a lot of responsibilities to manage in school.
That’s why, in partnership with Make Life Kind, we aim to bring in school speakers to help ease the pressure on teachers. By working with teachers, we can offer vital support in their teaching of essential topics.
Topics covered by Make Life Kind’s inspirational speakers include:
- Mental Health Awareness
- Anti-racism
- Anti-knife crime
- Body confidence
- LGBTQ+ awareness
- Disability awareness
- Neurodiversity
- Creative careers and career goals
- Anti-bullying
- Internet safety
Our speakers include Paralympians such as Lyndon Longhorne, Mental Health Advocate and Rapper Shocka, Child Criminal Exploitation Expert Sosa Henkoma, and award-winning makeup artist, Sophie Baverstock.
Whether it’s body confidence and social media comparisons, or peer pressure and the increase in weapon crime, we have a school speaker ready to share their story with pupils.
From careers speakers for schools to mental health speakers who provide bespoke workshops for schools, Milk Education and Make Life Kind Charity are here to make a difference in pupils’ lives.
How are the school speaker sessions structured?
Make Life Kind’s school speakers are available for:
- Workshops
- Assemblies
- Classroom sessions
Before sessions, we discuss if the school has any specific topics they would like covered, so we can tailor the session accordingly. Each speaker can provide a half day or a full day session.
Book School Speakers with Make Life Kind!
In partnership with Make Life Kind Charity, we aim to inspire young people to handle the challenges of modern life and reach their full potential.
Hosting an inspiring speaker in your school can make an incredible difference and could even be life-changing for some pupils.
If you’d like to learn more about Make Life Kind’s school speaker workshops and discuss how you can book a speaker for your school, get in touch with us!