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Maddeline Balogun wins place at Grand Final
2020 is an unprecedented year with change and adapting to the new being key features for all of us. This year Jack Petchey’s “Speak Out” Challenge! Will not take place at Cambridge Theatre, instead we are live streaming with pre-recording speeches broadcast from a London film studio on Tuesday 1st December.
From the 20,000 young people who took part in the “Speak Out” Challenge! this year, we are thrilled to announce this year’s Grand Finalists, some of whom became Regional Champions and some Digital Final Champions. In no particular order, please meet the first of our Grand Finalists.
We are delighted to share our tenth Grand Finalists, congratulations Maddeline Balogun.
Representing Woodford County High School in the borough of Redbridge, Maddeline won Digital Final 2 with her speech ‘Mind the gap’. In her characterful and compelling speech, Maddeline explains her experience of culture clashes between older generations and her own.
We asked Maddeline, if you could make one change in the world what would it be?
“I would make everyone more empathetic towards the suffering of others; ignorance and selfishness only makes the beauty of this world harder to appreciate.”
And, why do you think it’s important for young people, like you, to share their stories?
“As a young person, what I say is rarely taken seriously so I try to get my message out as much as I can. The more we share our experiences, the harder it will be for others to ignore.”
Watch Maddeline in action.
