One hour, five schools, an estimated 2,500 students
A 45-minute presentation and a quarter of an hour of questions reached more students in one sitting than any school day could.
On 18 March 2026, between the two in-person events of the pilot year, Empowered Voices ran an online careers session for the Harris Federation: a 45-minute presentation followed by a 15-minute Q&A, reaching an estimated 2,500 students across five Harris schools.
A full day at a single school reaches the students in the building, and gives the ones in workshops something close to a mentor of their own. An hour online cannot do that. What it can do is reach thousands at once.
The session introduced Empowered Voices, a charity founded by three Harris alumni that brings role models, resources and real opportunity to young people in under-served schools, through school events, mentoring and competitions with real prizes. Then it took questions.
A presentation is an introduction, not a relationship.
A careers adviser at the Harris Federation wrote afterwards: “Your presentation was engaging and informative, and it was clear that it was very well received by those in attendance.”
Two honest notes. The 2,500 figure is an estimate, and it counts attendances rather than named individuals. A presentation is an introduction, not a relationship. It is the workshops, the email introductions to mentors and the competitions that turn a first hearing into something that lasts.
Even so, the format suggests a way to introduce many more students to Empowered Voices than a handful of school days a year can manage.