Lets Stand

27/10/2025

I always suspected that training children in public speaking skills in a fun way would have a ripple effect but it meant so much to receive this confirmation from a parent recently. Still buzzing from another year of LET’s Stand and Siobhan Fitzgerald collaborating with IRD Duhallow.

26/10/2025

From testing the soil to unearthing and uncovering hidden treasures to planting bulbs in our woods, we are loving our outdoor gardening sessions with Caroline Graham. Thank you Caroline for sharing your vast expertise in biodiversity and your passion for and interest in the outdoors. Working together, we’re learning loads. 🙏🌳 🌼❤️🫶🏼

11/10/2025

Just one week to go until the children who participated in this year‘s LETs Stand public speaking workshops present their speeches to their parents and family. Boy, is the audience in for a treat! Final in-person practise today left me speechless😮🤔👏. As one 9 year old said, quoting her heroine, Mary Robinson: ˋFeel empowered…and if you start to feel your voice heard, then you’ll never go back´.📢🤩

04/10/2025

Week 3 of our Public Speaking workshops for children. What the children choose to talk about continues to amaze me 🤔🤗🙌

27/09/2025

Week 2 of ‘LET’s Stand’ public speaking workshops for primary school children. I’m always amazed at what children will talk about when they have a choice 🤔. Reciting poetry is a great way to practise and play around with vocal variety, pace and emphasis.

20/09/2025

Empowering children to communicate and use their voice 🫶🏼👏🙌📢. Siobhan Fitzgerald We’re back!!!

20/09/2025

One of the highlights of the ‘LET’s Stand’ year begins again. 🤗🤝 Collaborating with IRD Duhallow for the 7th year, to bring Public Speaking workshops to primary school children in Cork. It’s always humbling and enlightening to hear what children have to say 📣 ❤️.

06/08/2025

I love the theme of the contest - “Future Makers: Where Digital World Meets Empathy”

The power of language and empathy lit up the stage at the “ PalFish National English Speech Contest 2025” , which recently held its grand finale on August 2, 2025, at BITEC Bangna. The event brought together young learners from across Thailand to showcase their English communication skil...

27/07/2025

“The backbone of language is our talk. It’s the everyday way we make and change relationships, share the events of our lives, hear about other people’s lives.

“It’s where we forge our identities and culture, it’s where and how we get a good deal of our understanding of what matters. We can learn and develop how to be better talkers and listeners.

“School is a perfect time for us to do that. This needs time and space and sensitive help from teachers.”

Alastair Campbell and children’s author Michael Rosen among advocates calling for oracy to be in curriculum

27/07/2025

Great topic - ‘Mobile phones have significantly weakened the quality of face-to-face communication, leading to more superficial interactions and a decline in meaningful conversation.’

Netherhall School in Maryport hosted the event in partnership with The Rotary Club of Maryport.