SBY has been teaching young people to communicate with confidence for the last decade; communication skills and public speaking form part of all our programmes. This year we are delighted that The John James Bristol Foundation is partnering with us to deliver formal public speaking workshops. Speak with Spark focuses on improving participants’ presentation skills, and their confidence in orating to an audience.

Every student on the programme participates in a full-day Public Speaking Workshop, where they develop their communication skills before constructing and delivering an engaging presentation on a topic of their choosing.

At the end of the workshop, participants are offered the chance to take part in the Speak with Spark Competition where they will go head-to-head with students from other cohorts to deliver a speech at a special event.

John James was a Bristol-born businessman, who became a philanthropist providing funding to support health, education, and the elderly in Bristol.

The John James Bristol Foundation continues to support charitable organisations like SBY who work to improve the lives of people in Bristol, and has made grants of over £48 million to date, to more than 1000 organisations across the city.

To learn more please visit their website:

John James Bristol Foundation