Revolutionary Voices: Public Speaking Skills for Change

“Revolutionary Voices: Public Speaking Skills for Change” was a 7-day Erasmus+ training course designed to strengthen youth workers’ confidence, communication, and advocacy skills through public speaking and human rights education.

Hosted from June 10-18, 2025, in Lecce, Italy, the training brought together youth workers from eight European countries for a week of experiential learning, intercultural exchange, and collaboration. Through practical workshops, simulations, role plays, group discussions, and speaking exercises, participants explored how effective communication can inspire participation, strengthen communities, and support positive social change.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

• strengthen participants’ confidence, presence, and public speaking skills;

• deepen understanding of human rights, diversity, inclusion, and active citizenship;

• develop participants’ ability to structure clear, persuasive, and engaging messages;

• equip youth workers with practical tools for storytelling, advocacy, facilitation, and audience engagement;

• support participants in creating inclusive spaces where young people feel heard and respected;

• empower youth workers to become effective advocates and agents of positive change in their communities.

WHY PUBLIC SPEAKING?

Youth workers communicate every day. They lead workshops, facilitate discussions, present ideas, advocate for community needs, and support young people in expressing their opinions. Their ability to communicate clearly and confidently is therefore not simply an advantage; it is a core professional competence.

Many young people have valuable ideas and experiences but lack the confidence, skills, or opportunities to express them. Others feel disconnected from decision-making processes or uncertain about how their voices can contribute to change. Youth workers can help bridge this gap by creating supportive environments where young people are encouraged to speak, listen, reflect, and participate.

Public speaking is about more than delivering a speech. It includes the ability to build trust, adapt messages to different audiences, facilitate meaningful dialogue, communicate complex issues, and inspire collective action.

When combined with human rights education, these skills help youth workers challenge discrimination, promote inclusion, address sensitive social issues, and encourage young people to participate more actively in democratic and community life. Public speaking is not only a performance skill; it is a practical tool for education, advocacy, and citizenship.

ACTIVITIES

The training course used non-formal education and experiential learning methods, placing participants at the centre of the learning process. Activities were inspired by the Council of Europe’s Compass Manual for Human Rights Education and combined communication training with reflection, collaboration, and values-based learning.

Participants learned through activities that:

• required active participation and practical experimentation;

• responded to participants’ needs, experiences, and communication styles;

• encouraged cooperation, peer learning, and intercultural dialogue;

• provided opportunities for constructive feedback and self-reflection;

• connected public speaking techniques with human rights, advocacy, and active citizenship.

Throughout the course, participants explored:

• confidence building and strategies for managing stage fright;

• voice projection, articulation, pace, pauses, and emphasis;

• body language, posture, eye contact, gestures, and presence;

• active listening and inclusive communication;

• storytelling and speech structure;

• audience engagement and persuasive communication;

• human rights issues affecting young people across Europe;

• advocacy, calls to action, and communication for social change;

• facilitation methods that help young people express themselves in supportive environments.

Practical activities included role-playing human rights scenarios, silent identity and inclusion exercises, body-language challenges, active listening workshops, elevator speeches, peer presentations, persuasive speaking tasks, and personal advocacy speeches.

By the end of the course, participants had strengthened their communication skills, developed practical facilitation tools, and created plans for transferring their learning into their organizations and local communities.

DISSEMINATION

To extend the project’s impact beyond the training course, ONDE, the partner organizations, and participants implemented more than 20 dissemination initiatives across the eight participating countries.

These included:

• public speaking and advocacy workshops in schools, universities, youth organizations, and community settings;

  
  

• an international webinar exploring advocacy, human rights, and the experience of overcoming public-speaking challenges;

  
  

• a three-episode podcast series introducing Erasmus+ and discussing how public speaking skills can be used in personal and professional life;

  
  

• classroom presentations, public discussions, awareness campaigns, and social media activities;

  
  

• three participant-produced Call-to-Action videos promoting advocacy and positive social change;

  
  

• articles, websites, presentations, and online resources created by participants and partner organizations;

  
  

• the “Revolutionary Voices: Public Speaking Skills for Change” Practical Guide for Youth Workers, presenting the project methodology, facilitation advice, and ready-to-use activities.

Participants adapted their dissemination activities to their own communities. In Slovakia, they combined public speaking exercises with discussions on human rights and Erasmus+ opportunities. In Greece, participants delivered workshops using storytelling, body language, and advocacy challenges. In Italy, a university assembly explored historic political speeches, youth participation, and public speaking as a tool for social change.

Together, these initiatives helped youth workers and young people across Europe strengthen their confidence, express their ideas more effectively, and recognize communication as a practical instrument for participation, inclusion, and positive change.

PARTICIPATING PARTNERS / COUNTRIES:

Officina Nuova Dimensione Europea (ONDE) APS - Italy

Milat - Austria

USRED - Croatia

LevelUp - Greece

Love and Care for People - Ireland

MSK - Poland

Inspira! - Portugal

STEP - Slovakia