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We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our awesome corporate and nonprofit partners: Richmond Promise, NIAD Art Center, Richmond Art Center, Freedom Schools, Girls Crushing It, Title Nine, Kaiser, Pogo Park, Visa, CA Competes, Fresh Lifelines for Youth, Students Rising Above, YES Nature to Neighborhoods, and Greenbelt Alliance.

Check out our founder, AnnMarie Baines, as she delivers her captivating TEDx talk titled “Speak for Yourself.” In this enlightening discussion, she addresses the crucial significance of liberating oneself from societal norms and shares her personal journey of how public speaking has profoundly impacted her life.

We are humbled and honored to be recognized by the esteemed National Speech and Debate Association with this prestigious award. This accolade exemplifies our unwavering commitment to elevating underrepresented voices through comprehensive public speaking education.

We’re thrilled to share Annmarie’s talk, “We Need to Argue to Heal,” selected from thousands of applications via the SXSW EDU PanelPicker and presented in March this year. Annmarie discusses how embracing constructive arguments can lead to personal and community healing by fostering understanding and growth. Don’t miss her insights on the transformative power of

We are incredibly proud of our students who served as keynote speakers at the Richmond Literacy Festival! Their powerful voices and compelling stories captivated the audience, highlighting the importance of youth perspectives in the literary world. This remarkable opportunity allowed them to share their experiences and inspire others through their words. Read more about their

We were on the road in May, giving talks all over the country about our work. Our founder delivered impactful presentations to esteemed funders like the Hewlett Foundation, PBL Works, and New Schools Venture Fund. She passionately shared The Practice Space’s mission to strengthen democracy and education through our work. Emphasizing the importance of partnerships,

We love working with local schools, especially when we get to do multiple programs! At Kennedy High School in Richmond, we just wrapped up three different youth voice initiatives in and out of the classroom, including a Debate Team, a Speech Club for newcomers, and a Speech and Debate curriculum for English Learners. Courage, competition,

Our founder AnnMarie Baines delivered this TEDx Talk on March 16, 2023. Check out the talk and transcript below to hear her insightful about expressing yourself confidently and creating meaningful connections with your audience. Listen to the full talk here. Speak for Yourself TEDx Talk, March 16, 2023 AnnMarie Baines Have you ever looked around

Light-touch activities can help lower stress around public speaking over time and offer an entry point to young people who have typically felt silenced or have had challenges participating or thinking of what to say. While this list of warm-ups can be used in multiple ways to engage learners, we have categorized them by: Warm-ups