How do you get the public to engage in a conversation about disadvantaged children in Britain; to pay attention long enough to appreciate the problems and understand how children’s charity Barnardo’s helps to turn young people’s lives around?

Our answer to that very real challenge is The Teens’ Speech – an invitation to teenage Britain to address the nation on Christmas day. The project went live a few weeks ago and things are starting to get exciting.

We’re getting teens from every background and upbringing to share their opinions and experiences across some serious issues: education, health, family, relationships and community. We hope to provide a refreshingly honest look at the state of things; both good and bad to get a sense of where Britain is heading.

This is not an appeal. This is a thought-provoker. And the teens that feature in the final film will be chosen to reflect the true spectrum of opportunity in the UK. These young people will shape the future in more ways than one – and we hope people will be interested in listening to them.

As well as travelling across the UK to meet teens in person, we’re engaging them online too. And the best video contributions will come together in the final film, on the front page of MySpace on Christmas Day.

Here’s the intro video:

In a nutshell, we hope that…

- The Teens’ Speech will empower young people and challenge stereotypes
- It will attract an adult audience that is numbed by charity appeals, but interested in the future of the country
- It will make people think about the opportunities they have in life and appreciate that chances are not dished out equally
- It will contextualise Barnardo’s message; because what they do is remarkable, but can’t be fully appreciated without asking people to think a little

As you’d expect, the project plays out in various places across the web. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and MySpace. Plus you can follow the story and share your thoughts on The Teens’ Speech blog.

Please tell any teens you know to get involved on the MySpace and YouTube channels.

And if you want to see how Barnardo’s helps to turn young lives around here’s a few short video case studies we created to tell the complex human stories behind their work.

posted on 18th Nov 2009