SPEAK Events Archive Intro
SPEAK has been running events and get togethers, training events, gatherings, conferences, online events and even festivals since April 1998.
We run through our journey with the following historic regular events:
- National gatherings – Sound Check
- Day of action
- Training week -Vocal training
- WEEK Of Action aka SPEAK Week
- Flower model
We have tried to combine the history of our events so you can see the panoramic of our journey as a movement.
We ran our international gathering as Sound Check gathering from 2000- 2014. Generally attracting 150-400 a year during those years and that mostly occurred on the last weekend in February in London (on Brick lane) though did once take place in Sheffield in 2008 in the Big Dress touring tent. Following the weekend of activity we would also follow up Sound Check with a Day of Action on the Monday at a campaign location! We sustained this from 2000-2016!
Bear with us we got very nostalgic in 2020-2021 when we had lots of time to look at photos so a proper photo gallery coming!!! If you want to help us make photo books or scrap books or photo vid montages email admin@speak.org.uk
2015-2022 gatherings In 2015 onwards our international/national gathering took a different form we had in person gatherings in the form of a Peace festival (September 2015) and gatherings in London in 2016 and 2017. From 2018 onwards and during the Pandemic we have focused more on online gatherings, but we are now looking at how we can partner with others and provide in person gatherings alongside our on-going on line gatherings that happened between 2018-2022.
Training Events. At the start of the academic year (historically mid-September). We have run training events called Vocal Training that happened at big capacity from 2002-2016. We have since run smaller online training events in specific areas but are inspired by the history of the Vocal training event and hope at some stage to reintroduce something similar back into our yearly Rhythm. Generally, 50-75 key group facilitators would attend vocal training each time.
We ran our participatory forum called Flower Model from 2002-2016 every 6 month for a weekend in November and April each year. We have since had to simplify our participatory structure as we did not have the staff/ volunteer capacity to sustain such a scale but we hope to reintroduce something similar again in future years. Generally, 30-45 key volunteers would attend vocal training each time for those 14-15 years.
We have also developed a training web site that people in key volunteer roles can access.
Week of Action- SPEAK WEEK Historically this happened October/ November each year. It often had different campaign theme historically. 2001-2016
SPEAK-athons These were a later add on to give SPEAK weeks a funding dimension from 2011-2016
SPEAK Sound Check Gathering Brick Lane London Rag Factory
SPEAK Vocal Training
SPEAK Peace Festival 2015
Other National Gatherings 2017 & 2016
Days of Action Run on The Banks (2016)
Day of Action Outside DSEi Arms Fair 2015
Climate Justice March
