Our mentors are learning to tell their stories better
Spellbound, a public speaking programme, is our first major mentor-development partner; the first cohort starts on 2 November.
Empowered Voices has agreed its first major mentor-development partnership, with Spellbound, a public speaking programme built on the belief that “everyone has a story worth telling”. The first Empowered Voices cohort begins on 2 November 2026 and runs for three sessions.
Standing in front of a room of sixth-formers and telling your own story well is a skill, and one most people are never taught. Our mentors are doctors and medical students, founders, data scientists, consultants and creatives.
People who feel that strongly about the work want to do it well.
The programme gives participants, in its words, “the tools, space and supportive community they need to find their voice and use it with confidence”. Across the three sessions, mentors practise and make mistakes in a supportive group. Personal disclosure is optional, and the final speech can be on any topic.
Demand for the first cohort far exceeded the places available. Our mentors give up a day, and often their expenses, to go back into schools like the ones they left. People who feel that strongly about the work want to do it well.
Spellbound invited us to its official relaunch. The partnership is one of several we are developing for 2026/27, alongside plans for a formal mentor network. We will report on the first cohort once it has run.