Two Weare Middle School 7th graders will be among the 11 students from across NH to present their speeches on March 29, at Project Soapbox Mainstage, a public speaking initiative sponsored by Mikva Challenge in partnership with NH Civics. Weare Middle School’s Autumn Meyers will speak about social media use, and Ava Montgomery’s speech is about abortion laws. Project Soapbox calls on young people to develop and deliver an original speech on an issue that matters to them. Hundreds of students from across NH in grades 6-12 wrote speeches. Only 11 of them have been selected to participate in Project Soapbox Mainstage to answer the question: “What is the biggest issue facing your community, and what should be done about it?”

“Ava and Autumn have worked extremely hard on this assignment,” said their WMS social studies teacher Jen Levesque. “Both girls have created powerful, meaningful speeches that are well-researched and delivered in a way that reaches both students and adults. I am very proud of all their hard work and dedication.”

Project Soapbox celebrates the power of youth voice to encourage students to become active participants in the civic debate of their community while fostering public speaking and critical thinking skills, and building empathy for peers. It’s a powerful program that gives young people the opportunity to be civic actors rather than spectators. Project Soapbox is a program of Mikva Challenge, a nonpartisan organization that develops youth to be empowered, informed, and active citizens who will promote a just and equitable society. They do this by engaging youth in action civics, an authentic and transformative learning process built on youth voice and youth expertise.

This year’s Project Soapbox Mainstage will be held at the Franklin Opera House in Franklin from 5 to 7 p.m. If you would like to attend the event in person, please register at https://forms.gle/YgBbSqzTc3UYrrPW8.For more information, you may contact Amanda Maguire at amandam@mikvachallenge.org.

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