Speaking Out: Empowering the Youth Voice

The focus of this booklet is to help instructors and students recognize the role of public speaking and provide the skills needed to employ the "youth voice". The ability to effectively communicate about service-learning experiences in a variety of settings can be of significant value for many reasons. Through public speaking, the concept of service-learning, its associated benefits, the students' overall experiences, and finally the important challenges in our communities that service-learning confronts may be conveyed to a broad audience who might not otherwise be exposed. By communicating about their experiences, youth have the unique opportunity to make real changes in their community and nation. In essence, it is time for the youth to speak out! (author)