On Thursday 27th March I had the pleasure of attending the Croydon finals of the Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge to watch Archie Spackman represent The Quest Academy.

The event, held at Riddlesdown Collegiate, had a strong start with three fantastic speeches. The bar was set high. However, Archie’s speech really set the standard for the rest of the evening. It was a very powerful speech full of insight and clearly coming from the heart. Archie used his speech to highlight the challenges young people with Autism face in schools.

Archie’s passionate prose sought to tear up outdated stereotypes and prejudice and replace them with a more authentic and realistic portrayal of being a student with autism. Archie’s speech, whilst not afraid to confront some of the more unpleasant responses to his autism, also contained several humorous anecdotes and touches. The speech ended to huge applause as it was clear that this was going to be a tough speech to beat!

Whilst Archie did not win the overall award it was a strong contender and my own personal favourite as I agreed with Archie that more needs to be done to challenge society’s outdated and hurtful views on autism. It was great to hear Archie’s rallying call to do more to fight ableism and create a society where young people with autism are accepted for themselves and can stand tall and proud as part of a diverse community. It was a great night – filled with amazing students from around Croydon all doing their bit to raise awareness of injustice and highlight how we as a community can do more to improve the lives of others.

J Kubilius