What about the key voices?
Discussion question | This is for everyone
Throughout the Festival you have heard from key voices across different topics.
Which one of the key voices made you think the most? What did you learn from them?
Think about whether anyone helped you to:
- consider a new perspective
- understand a difficult topic
- change your mind
- learn something new
Tell us what you think
You might want to structure your answer like this:
[Name of expert] made me think the most because they said [something expert said]. By hearing from them, I learnt that [something that you learnt].
Comments (10)
The key voice that made me think the most was the speaker who talked about how young people can influence change in society. What stood out to me was the idea that age does not limit the power of your voice. Before listening to them, I sometimes thought that important decisions were only made by adults, politicians, or experts. However, this speaker explained that young people can raise awareness, start campaigns, and even influence policies through social media, school projects, and community action.
From this key voice, I learned that change often begins with small actions. They gave examples of young people who started local initiatives that later became national movements. This helped me understand that leadership is not about having a title, but about having determination and courage. It also encouraged me to believe that my opinions matter, especially on topics like education, the environment, and equality.
The speaker also helped me consider a new perspective. Instead of seeing problems as something too big to solve, I learned to see them as challenges that require cooperation and creativity. Their words changed my mindset from feeling powerless to feeling responsible and capable.
Overall, this key voice inspired me to think more critically about my role in society and reminded me that every voice, no matter how young, has the potential to make a difference.
Thanks for your thoughtful reflection, adventurous_nectarine. Has hearing from these voices encouraged you to take any specific action yourself in your own school or community?
Matt Damon truly made me reflect. He made me realize that awareness isn’t just about getting attention — it’s about having real power.
In the video, he talks about how his mom made sure he understood things like poverty, political repression, and injustice from early on. She drilled into him that these problems aren’t set in stone, and we shouldn’t just shrug and accept them as “normal.” That stuck with him. So, when he suddenly found himself famous, he saw he had a platform. He could’ve just used it to help his own career, but instead, he chose to spotlight the global water crisis and got involved with Water.org.
Listening to him, I learned that awareness actually drives everything else. Money and aid don’t just appear — they follow where people are paying attention. If no one’s watching, big issues get ignored by governments and donors. His story made me realize raising awareness isn’t just some feel-good gesture; it’s often the spark that gets real change started, whether that’s funding, new policies, or solutions that last.
He also made me see that having influence means you have a responsibility. If you’ve got a platform, you can shape what people care about. That made me rethink leadership. It’s not just about access to resources — it’s about how you use your voice to get things moving.
Another key voice that has really impacted the way I think is Ashvin Dayal. He pushed back against the idea that one big organization, government, or donor can just swoop in and fix global problems on its own. He pointed out how issues like poverty, inequality, and basic services are tangled up in so many different causes. You can’t just throw money at them. Instead, you need coalitions—partnerships where foundations, governments, businesses, and local groups all bring something unique to the table.
What stuck with me most was how he talked about collaboration over control. He said foundations have this special role—they can bring people together, help everyone get on the same page, and keep things moving for the long haul. That really flipped my own view. I used to think whoever had the most money called the shots. But now I see how much more important it is to have coordination, trust, and a shared plan.
Listening to him, I finally got why leadership in global development shouldn’t be about being the “hero.” It’s about building systems where different partners can actually work together and get things done. And I get why some well-funded projects flop. It’s not always about money; it’s because the different players aren’t teaming up or aiming for the same goal.
Thanks to him, I see global problem-solving differently now. It’s less about a single leader and more about a network where everyone plays a part. That shift made the whole topic click for me in a way it never did before.
Fayudatu Yakubu has made me think the most because, she said about international aid is not only about giving money. It is about helping people live in better lives.
Before, I thought foreign aid was always good. But after that I learnt that if aid is not planned properly, it can cause problems. It can make countries depend too much on help.
However, if it is used in the right way, it can improve education, healthcare and reduce poverty.
By hearing from her, I learnt that international aid is a complex issue. It is not simply good or bad . It depends on how it is used. This helped me understand the topic better and think more deeply about it. ( forgive me for mistakes🥲),
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) experts made me think the most because they explained how quickly stopping international aid could affect health, education and emergency programmes in vulnerable countries. They said that even short pauses in funding can interrupt vaccine delivery, food distribution and disaster response.
By hearing from them, I learnt that international aid is not just about politics or government budgets — it directly impacts real people’s daily lives. Before, I mainly thought about whether countries should reduce spending or focus on national priorities. But this perspective helped me understand how global decisions can have immediate humanitarian consequences.
It helped me consider a new perspective: that foreign policy is not only about strategy and power, but also about responsibility and long-term stability. I also better understood how complex international systems are, and how quickly changes can create ripple effects around the world.
Name of expert] made me think the most because they said that new equipment can help people perform better but doesn’t replace hard work. By hearing from them, I learnt that even with better tools, world records are still impressive because they show talent, effort, and dedication.
I think Matt Damon from the International Aid Week was my favourite teacher and the most inspiring too. What really touched me was when, in his video, he explained how he was inspired to help out with the global water crisis, and how he strived to become great without anyone even caring about who he was, and how famous voices can help people achieve their dreams. By this, I basically learnt nothing is impossible if you have the willing mindset to achieve it. Thank you
Matt Damon made me think the most because he said that "Your decisions on earth matter and how you treat people matters", and topical talk gave me this amazing chance to hear his life touching quote. By hearing him, I learnt to care for other a lot and be a better person and also learnt to listen to others and share my views and ideas in a respectful way to promote a fun and friendly discussion. Thank you so much for everything.
Matt Damon to me is the best voice for this year simply because of his life lesson and mentality to life as he stated in his video on " DO FAMOUS VOICES REALLY HELP " about his mother being his mentor and teaching him social issues like extreme poverty, systemic inequality amongst others. This made me think the most about how famous voices can help paint a great picture, like in his instance, his mother who shaped his mentality on these issues and try to change people's lives by addresing thes issues. By hearing from him, I honestly learnt that a famous voice doesn't necessarily have to be a celebrity, but someone you see as a role model, which shows how actually, famous voices help the ideology of an individual.
One of my classmates changed my mind and changes my perspective. When we were talking about topics to do for are standpoints there was a topic if technology should be used in sports. At first I thought that we should not use technology in sports, but then my classmate really had me thinking if it is good or bad. My classmate said that we should use technology because one type of technology is cameras, and cameras would show us what really happened. For example if there was a race and seemed really close like the two cars tie we can go back to the camera tape and see who really won. At the end of the lesson I changed my mind that we should use technology in sports.
Sam Carling was the one that made me think the most because he explained his point clearly and had himself as an example. At the moment I watched the video, I thought quite the opposite of what he explains but in the end, he made me realise how different can others be and the different arguments that I could also see for his point of view.
Firstly, he made me truly realize that in 3 years more or less people my age are going to be able to vote and to access some opportunities that I saw as far away when they aren't. Moreover, he also seems to have an admirable profile that has done much hard work and who knows how to get information in a good way and to share it even better.
Secondly, he completely surprised me because of what he defends and who he is in the political situation. Besides, I thought he wasn't going to defend so many young people, but he did and in a way that I believe convinced everyone at least a little bit.
To sum up, I really liked it for how unexpected it was for me, how well-explained and such a different point of view. Furthermore I understood the situation better because he made it look close to all of us, showing we are part of it. Lastly, I loved his English pronunciation, it was amazing, beautiful, gorgeous, I even watched the video several times because of it.