Soapbox Nation

Give your students an opportunity to amplify their voices on a national stage!

What

Project Soapbox builds empathy in the classroom, provides a positive outlet for youth ideas, and helps students connect to the power of their voice.

Soapbox Nation is the next level opportunity for students from across the country who have participated in Project Soapbox to share videos of their speeches about an issue that matters to them on a national platform. Every year, a select group of youth speakers are chosen to travel to Washington, D.C. and deliver their speech in front of a national audience (all expenses paid!). Watch the powerful speeches of the 2023 Soapbox Nation Finalists.

How

1. Implement  Project Soapbox with your students to help them connect with issues they care about and develop their case for making a change. If you need access to the curriculum, reach out to Kayla Cruz at kayla@mikvachallenge.org
2. Once your students have developed their powerful, well-researched, 2-3 minute speeches you may submit one video of a student speech per participating classroom. This year’s submission cycle has ended – watch this page for submission instruction for the 2023-24 school year, coming soon!
3. A select group of outstanding speeches get highlighted on the Soapbox Nation page and featured on our social media channels (follow @MikvaChallenge). A select group of speakers are then selected to travel (all expenses paid!) to Washington, D.C. to showcase their speech at the Soapbox Nation Mainstage event in the spring.

Who is eligible?

Kindergarten-12th grade classrooms throughout the country are eligible to submit speeches for consideration to be highlighted on the Soapbox Nation page. Middle and high school students will be chosen for the trip to Washington, D.C.  

NOTE: Students whose videos have been submitted to local Soapbox events are automatically entered into consideration for Soapbox Nation!

Why

Soapbox Nation celebrates the power of youth voice and encourages students to become active participants in the civic conversation of their community – while fostering public speaking skills, critical thinking, and empathy for peers. 

Hear from 8th grader Joaquin, and teacher Jasmine about what the experience was like for them. 

Want to learn more?

Get inspired by watching Mikva’s 2023 Soapbox Nation Mainstage event. You can also find videos of all of last year’s finalists’ speeches here. Contact Mia@MikvaChallenge.org with any questions.