Who books youth speakers?

The answer to this is simple. Anybody who is in charge of a group of students can book a speaker. Simply choose a topic that you want a speaker to address and then contact experts in the field who speak to youth.

Do youth speakers charge?

Absolutely! Be aware that booking a youth speaker will come at a cost. That’s okay though you want to pay for a speaker. Just like you want teachers to get paid for teaching because you know they are going to do the best teaching job they can do. The same is true for speakers and they know that their reputation is on the line if they do not prepare for their speech. Plus many professional speakers live off of referrals so they know to impress those who book them so they can increase the number of days they speak. To youth speakers, every day that they are not speaking is a day that they are not getting paid, believe me, speakers want to keep their calendars full.

What if I cannot afford to book a youth speaker?

There are many options that you can take if you don’t have a budget for a speaker. For one you can ask the speaker if they get a discount if they get another school to share the cost. Most speakers will take this option because the more schools that a speaker gets to present at, chances of getting rebooked are higher. Please a true speaker wants to share their message to as many students as possible.

Most school districts have line items in their budgets for special programs. Ask school district officials about how much is budgeted every year. Many schools never touch this line item and every year it goes unused. You may have to have the speaker fill out a W-2 form and get a background check before you can add them to the district payroll as a consultant. Again, it is worth it if you find the money you need to book a youth speaker that you really want to bring in.

A school district should consider applying for their state grant. If you are going to have an awareness day for drug and alcohol abuse or any health related program, consider applying for grant money and use the funds to bring in a youth specialist, say in the area of drug abuse.
Of course there is always sponsorship. Some local companies would be more than happy to give funds toward a special event. Give that company an opportunity to share their cause or service and you are good to go.

So if you are serious about booking a youth speaker, do not let price stop you. Go the extra mile and do all you can to get the funding necessary to hire one at your next school assembly. Students will be empowered since they know that their school invested time, money and energy into them. Discipline almost always goes down after they hear from a speaker and awareness occurs as well. It’s hard to put a price tag on a life changing event, but motivational speakers come with a price.