In Washington classrooms, Speak With Purpose is a program that helps students find confidence and community through public speaking, reshaping how young people discover their voices and share their stories.
Founded in 2012 by Seattle native Toyia T. Taylor, Speak With Purpose is the only public speaking program fully integrated into classrooms throughout King County. Designed for Title I schools, the curriculum centers on student voices that often go unheard, including English-language learners, LGBTQIA+ students, foster youth, immigrants, and unique learners.
Taylor was born in Seattle but then moved to Louisiana with her mother in her early years. Growing up, she found her voice through writing poetry and spoken word. Although she had a passion for writing, there were few opportunities for her to share and develop this skill.
“When I was growing up, girls were to be seen and not heard. Right? And so I didn’t have a lot of resources growing up in the South,” she said.
It wasn’t until she moved back to Seattle and was introduced to resources like the NAACP youth chapter and its program, the African American Cultural Technological Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO), that she realized what was possible when students are supported and celebrated.
“That was a resource that became the foundation of me understanding I was young, gifted and black,” she said.
That belief would grow into Speak With Purpose, a program rooted in the power of voice and counter-narrative storytelling.
“Counter narrative storytelling is just that, the stories that are rarely heard, but the ones that built the foundation on everything that is considered America,” said Taylor.
For Jose, an eighth-grade student from Mexico, finding his voice in a new language was one of his biggest challenges.
“When I started school, it was difficult because I didn’t know English,” he said. “I was just sitting in my seat and not speaking to anyone. I would listen, but I didn’t understand anyone.”
So when Jose found out he’d been enrolled in Speak With Purpose, a public speaking program that required him to write and perform original speeches, he hesitated. The idea of standing in front of classmates and expressing himself in was overwhelming.
“When we started, I didn’t like it because we had to present something we wrote… It made me nervous, I didn’t want to do it,” he said.
SWP is integrated directly into classrooms and aligns its programming with Washington’s common core standards, which teachers are required to follow. This collaboration between educators and program leaders creates space to explore curriculum beyond the traditional scope, centering identity and social issues often left out of standard instruction.
“There are so many that serve our communities in this area that have programs where people go into schools, and I think that is always a crucial part of uplifting our children and protecting them from these systems that are designed to make them fail,” said Alex Kaethler, program and data systems manager at SWP.
The curriculum is split into two units. First, it focuses on creative writing, which allows students to explore imagery that helps them describe themselves. The second unit focuses on discussing problems that students can identify in the world. This discussion helps guide students in writing their passion pieces, which they will perform at the end of the term.
“It’s really important for us to hear what our students are experiencing, how they’re experiencing it and how it’s impacting them,” Taylor said.
Jose’s breakthrough moment came during a class performance, where he shared a speech about his identity and hopes for the future. This speech earned him a classroom award for stepping furthest outside his comfort zone.
The recognition wasn’t just about public speaking; it also marked a turning point in Jose’s confidence.
The curriculum combines creative writing and social issue exploration to help students express their identities
Now, the same student who once kept to himself is one of the first to offer help to others. When two new students who spoke only Spanish entered his class, he became a guide, making sure they didn’t feel as isolated as he once did.
“When I was in fifth grade, I didn’t know what to do either,” he said. “So I try to help cause I know how it feels.”
He dreams of becoming either a translator or a dentist, but his heart leans toward the opportunity to help others who face language barriers, just as he once did. He’s especially passionate about helping Spanish speakers feel safe and seen in environments where they might otherwise feel judged or dismissed.
“Sometimes people here discriminate on the people who aren’t from this country. They make them feel unwelcome. I want to be a translator to help them feel welcome,” he said.
Kaethler has seen firsthand how Jose has grown in the program. What began as hesitation for Jose, a quiet student unsure of his words, slowly evolved into confidence and eventually leadership.
“Jose’s engagement in class really shifted after the first performance,” Kaethler said. “He is really a deep thinker, and reflects on what he sees in the world around him. But I don’t know that he gets asked to share that super often.”
For Kaethler, such a transformation isn’t rare. They’ve seen it happen in classroom after classroom, often in students who’ve been overlooked or written off. SWP offers a unique space where students can speak up.
“There is also a whole class shift and change as they do their performances. Especially after the first performance, there’s this big boost of confidence, and I’ll see it across many students,” Kaethler said.
That shift in classroom energy is one of the things Kaethler finds most rewarding. Vulnerability becomes a shared experience, and students begin showing up for one another. There’s a ripple effect when young people are encouraged to speak freely and listen deeply.
For many students, Speak With Purpose is the first time they’ve had a structured opportunity to discuss their identities, families, fears and dreams. And for educators like Kaethler, the beauty lies not in flawless speeches but in the courage it takes to stand up and share.
“I learn so much from them every year, every class, there’s a new perspective or a new opinion, and getting to help them dig into that and find they all do have opinions, they’ve just never been asked for it,” Kaethler said. “Some students have it naturally, and some students like you have to draw it out of them, but when you do, then you get to learn about perspectives that you wouldn’t otherwise.”
SWP also has opportunities for students to share their speeches outside the classroom. Rising Voices is their annual showcase that allows students to share their stories with the community. This year’s showcase marked their 11th anniversary and was held at the Museum of Flight.
SWP is possible because of the grants and funding it receives from the county. Best Starts for Kids has supported the program for the past nine years, enabling it to grow into what it is today. The Medina Foundation has also provided critical resources that have been instrumental in the program’s continued growth, according to SWP team members.
As Speak With Purpose enters its 12th year, Taylor is focused on expanding the program’s reach, not just across King County, but far beyond.
“Right now, we are local. We need to be national and global,” said Taylor. “I would say three to 10 years, I see us expanding on a state-wide level, so every child has access to this program, so they have access to their voice.”
That vision includes training school leaders and educators to integrate SWP’s values into their classrooms, creating change even when her team isn’t physically in the room.
For Taylor, the end goal of Speak With Purpose has never been just about helping students give speeches; it’s about guiding them to become fully themselves and feel proud of that.
“Always discovering and exploring themselves and knowing that’s okay,” said Taylor. “So what I find to be true and what I always want for my students is to bet on yourself, believe in yourself, and don’t be afraid to say what you mean.”
Cover photo: Toyia Taylor, founder of Speak With Purpose, addresses the audience at the annual Rising Voices Centerstage event at the Musuem of Flight. The performance gives students a platform to deliver original speeches in front of peers, family and friends. (Photo provided by SWP team member)