SPEAK is honored to be a recipient of the Richard Cassidy Special Grant, alongside so many other organizations dedicated to justice and public service in Vermont. The Vermont Bar Foundation awarded this Special Grant to support projects that reflect the Foundation’s mission to ensure that everyone – regardless of income, identity, or circumstance – has access to justice, can exercise their legal rights, and live with dignity in a fair and equitable society. Many thanks to the

Can YOU Support SPEAK This Giving Tuesday? 📚 Our Story At SPEAK, we believe that every voice matters . We’re a volunteer-led nonprofit empowering people through debate, public speaking, education, and advocacy. For over a decade, SPEAK has promoted powerful voices — everywhere from community classrooms to the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility, our flagship program serving justice-involved women in Vermont. Through our speech and debate programs, participants gain the

SPEAK volunteers at the 2025 Lawrence Debate Union banquet. From left to right: Maggie Pierce, Ariel Schuck, Julian Henry, Gavin Alberts,...

In the Fall 2024 issue of UVM Magazine, the University of Vermont highlighted SPEAK's partnership with UVM LAPP and our ongoing prison...

On November 22, the SPEAK: Debate in Prison program hosted its Fall 2024 final debate in the Chittenden Regional Corrections Facility...

SPEAK volunteers eagerly re-entered the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility (CRCF) this September to begin our Fall 2024 session....