Meet Grand Finalist, Nicolas Deeks

We are delighted to share that this has been the biggest year ever for Jack Petchey’s Speak Out Challenge. Up to 30,000 students have been trained in over 500 schools across all of London and Essex.

Jack Petchey’s Speak Out Challenge provides year 10 students in state schools across London and Essex with public speaking and communication training to increase their confidence, sense of agency and drive to make a difference in society.

During the academic year, over 500 schools have received a free one-day public speaking workshops for their students. The student’s confidence in speaking to an audience, without notes, is measured at the beginning and at the end of the day. During 2022-2023 76% of students have increased their confidence to stand up and talk to a group of people. At the end of the day, every school nominates one student to go on to a Regional or Digital Final, where they compete again other school finalists and their speeches are judged based on content delivery, structure and positive impact by a panel of esteemed judges. After going on to win the semi-finals, our 15 inspirational, articulate, and impressive speakers are now ready to present their speech to you!

We will celebrate the achievements of these awe-inspiring young people in the heart of London’s West End at Cambridge Theatre on Monday 10th July and crown the 2023 “Speak Out” Champion!

In no particular order, meet 2023 Grand Finalist Nicolas Deeks! 

Their speech ‘Love ‘I’-Land’ earned them and their school, Oasis Academy Coulsdon, first place in their Croydon Regional Final. Nicolas will feel accomplished if just one person writes to ITV about getting him on Love Island.  

We asked Nicolas, what three items or people would you choose to take to a desert island and why? 

1) Flare gun – I’m not planning to be on this island for too long, so being able to signal for some sort of help would be appreciated. Especially in a way that looks cool. 2) Real gun – I don’t know what’s on this island, so I might need to mow down a few enemies. Just in case. 3) Bubble gun – Because I will inevitably get bored.

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life what would it be and why?  

Broccoli. I don’t like it, but it’s long-term probably best in terms of my diet. The adjustment period might be rough, but I’ll make it out the other side a changed man.

What three top tips on life would you give a Year Seven student? 

1) Get prepared for exams early. Year 11 you will be thankful. 2) Be nice to teachers – they’re more likely to return the favour if you mess up later. 3) Don’t be annoying. Please.

You could have made a speech anything in the world. Why did you speak about this one subject? 

It started as a joke idea I had randomly, but the more I thought about it, the more I realised that there was much below the surface of “haha love island”. I think being funny (or at least trying to be) is a powerful persuasion tool that not enough people use. It allows you to connect more with the audience while leaving a lasting impact on them. So I think my choice to talk about why I should be on Love Island is because I wanted to talk about the portrayal of body image and I wanted to try to tackle this issue through humour.

Why do you think it’s important for young people, like you, to share their stories?

There’s this idea that Gen Z has no idea what it’s doing or what it wants, but this helps to show that there are dozens of bright young people who can bring new ideas and opinions to the table. I think it helps to quell fears of “what will happen when we’re in charge”, especially if people like this want to climb the social ladder.

If you could make one change in the world what would it be?

Remove the song “Dance Monkey” by Tones & I from existence.

Outside of delivering a speech, how do you think this experience could be helpful now or in the future?

I could use the public speaking skills I’ve gained to give presentations, host meetings, and present myself as outgoing & confident.

And finally, how would you like people to think / act differently from hearing your story?

I want people to walk away from my speech feeling amused but compelled and perhaps with a new perspective on the show. My goal isn’t to try and stop people from watching the show but to make them think about the beauty ideals that often get pushed by producers. Also, if just one person writes to ITV about me being on Love Island, I will feel accomplished.

Watch Nicolas‘s winning speech: