2025 BARCELONA

IT’S UP TO ME TO…

Another incredible group of young speakers captivated the audience at Barcelona’s CosmoCaixa on 6 April 2025, with speeches inspired by the theme ‘It’s Up to Me To… ’, reflecting their unique potential to create change, take responsibility and make an impact in their own way.

Teenagers in 4th ESO and 1st Bachillerato across Spain were invited to submit a 60 to 90-second video in English, sharing a glimpse of their ideas for a speech based on this theme. From these submissions, 21 individuals were selected to join a transformative, day-long Bootcamp at No20, a coworking and events space in Vilassar de Mar (Barcelona).

At the Bootcamp, they learned essential skills for crafting and delivering compelling speeches, guided by our experienced public speakers and mentors, Gabriella Opaz and Carrie Frais. From the Bootcamp participants, 12 finalists were chosen to showcase their talents in the Grand Finale, which took place at CosmoCaixa in Barcelona on 6 April 2025. Our 12 teen finalists blew us away with their passion, talent and powerful messages. It was an emotional and inspiring event, and these young speakers truly showed us that their voices matter.

 

 

4Voices are so proud of all our 12 finalists and while we firmly believe that all of them were winners the competition did once again award prizes so congratulations to:

FIRST
Milana Shaposhnyk (International School Maresme)
Your voice matters: the war is real and so is your power to change it

SECOND
Ecko Metcalfe (Barcelona High School)
LPT: leave positive trace

THIRD
Pol Obradó (Garbí Pere Vergés)
Disconnect to reconnect

 

Pol Obradó, Milana Shaposhnyk, Ecko Metcalfe

 

 

 

Visit our YouTube channel to watch full versions of all the speeches

Read an interview with Milana Shaposhnyk

‘It’s up to me to…’ is a call to action for the next generation. Teenagers today are inheriting a complex world and we need their energy, ideas and courage to shape a better future. This competition is about empowering our youth to realise that their voice matters, their actions count and that real change starts with the decision to step up and say, ‘It’s up to me’.

Gabriella Opaz, 4Voices

Public speaking is more than just a skill. It is a transformative experience that equips young people with the confidence to articulate their ideas and the courage to step into their potential. Over the past three years, we’ve seen participants in our events not only excel in competitions but carry their newfound abilities into their education, careers and personal lives. From acing university presentations to starting entrepreneurial ventures, these teenagers prove that the power of effective communication can open doors. This is why we believe in the life-changing impact of giving young people a voice and the tools to make them heard.

Cormac Walsh, 4Voices

Interested in sponsorship or collaborations?

Please contact us at info@4-voices.com

I liked meeting new people who share similar interests my age, and also it was amazing to see how experienced the teachers were at public speaking, truly role models!

Isabel Dyer
4Voices Barcelona 2025
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I am totally speechless, I mean it was just wonderful and everything was so special that I couldn't think of any things that they have to improve or change. Love it!

Steven Li
4Voices Barcelona 2025
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It taught me many useful skills in public speaking and filming in front of a camera. I had the opportunity to have some personalised feedback that was both honest and encouraging. Additionally, there was a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. At first, I was really nervous because I didn't recognise most of the people. The ice-breaker activities allowed me to meet and talk to people from diverse backgrounds.

Sofia Chen
4Voices Barcelona 2025
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Everyone was so nice and helpful and the snacks were amazing, I loved the ice breaker games and that we werent forced to do something we didnt wanna do!

Ecko Metcalfe
4Voices Barcelona 2025
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I loved being able to meet new people and being able to learn so many new skills with the help of teachers that were constantly helping us.

Ariadna Duran López
4Voices Barcelona 2025
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I would like to tell you how enormously your training (and winning the competition!) has impacted Milana - improving her confidence in all aspects of life, inspiring her to believe in herself and encouraging her to dream big. Thank you so much. 4Voices has been a truly life-changing experience for her, which she will never forget.

Charlie Whitehouse
English Teacher Secondary, International School Maresme
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It was very well managed, the bootcamp was really informative and we were able to learn loads from it. The time was well distributed in a way that didn’t make it tedious at all. The little breaks, the food and your treatment made it really welcoming and overall just fun as well as inspiring.

Mar Juvanteny
4Voices Barcelona 2025
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I loved the atmosphere we had there. Also activities which we did really helped me to improve my speaking skills. I enjoyed this day and would like to repeat this experience.

Maria Seliukova
4Voices Barcelona 2025
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The hospitality and the hosts, all of the organisation made us feel safe and comfortable. All of you were aware of every one of us and that is amazingly beautiful.

Miguel Angel Jorge Rodriguez
4Voices Barcelona 2025
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The truth is that I loved everything, meeting people who are interested in the same things as me, I really liked the dynamics of the day and how much the coaches helped us.

Carlota Mundet
4Voices Barcelona 2025
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It was a truly enriching experience. Even though it was a competition, the atmosphere was incredibly positive and inspiring. Training and sharing moments with people who were technically my competitors created a unique sense of connection. Beyond the challenge itself, it helped me build a lot of confidence when speaking in front of an audience. I also took away some useful tools, but most importantly, the feeling of knowing that I’m capable of doing it, and doing it well.

Pol Obradó
4Voices Barcelona 2025
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