TED Public Speaking Summer Camp London

15-18 year olds
English level: B2 Upper Intermediate to Advanced

TED is one of the world’s most trusted platforms for ideas and a global leader in academic enrichment. Hosted at world-renowned University College London (UCL), TED Public Speaking Summer Camp London offers ambitious young people a transformative experience that shapes how they think, speak, and lead. The programme develops a powerful toolkit for communication, critical thinking, and self-expression, which are essential for success in university, careers, and life. 

Built around the art of communication, storytelling, and public speaking, this transformative two-week summer programme is designed for ambitious high-school students aged 15-18 who want to develop a distinctive voice, explore big ideas, and learn to communicate with impact. The programme equips students with essential 21st-century skills, such as public speaking, communication, digital literacy, and critical thinking skills, and fosters confidence, influence, and leadership for life.

Through a structured, student-focused curriculum rooted in TED’s exclusive approach, students learn from TED trained tutors, and progress through the full journey of developing and delivering a TED-style talk, from shaping powerful ideas to deliver them with clarity, confidence, and purpose. The experience culminates in each student presenting their own TED-style talk to a live audience and captured on video.  Selected students may be invited to present their talk at an official TEDx event.

Set at University College London in the heart of the city, the programme places students in a vibrant learning environment steps away from world-renowned museums, institutions, and iconic landmarks. Beyond a professionally recorded TED-style talk and a personalised portfolio to share with universities, scholarships, or internship applications, students leave with a toolkit of skills that they can use across essays, interviews, leadership roles, and academic or professional pursuits.

• Programme
• Accommodation
• University Profile

• Course Essentials:

  TED Public Speaking Summer Camp London consists of a well-balanced programme of academic and practical learnings, activities, sports and excursions. The two-week programme includes:

  • 45 hours of teaching by TED trained tutors
  • 1:1 coaching and personalised feedback
  • Workshops and guest speaker sessions
  • Capstone TED-style talk
  • An official certificate of completion
  • Afternoon, evening, weekend activity and excursions
  • Maximum class size of 10 students
  • Insurance and Airport transfers NOT included (£100 one-way airport transfer if required)

  Timetable

  Below is a typical two-week sample timetable and a typical day of TED Public Speaking Summer Camp London.

  

  

  Activities:

  Students will also enjoy a full social programme including two excursions during the programme. Possible excursion and visits include:

  • Punting
  • Buckingham Palace
  • Houses of Parliament
  • West End Musical
  • Natural History Museum
  • Hyde Park

  • London Eye
  • British Museum
  • Southbank Walking Tour
  • Oxford Street
  • Oxford
  • Cambridge

• Boarding:

  Students stay in spacious single bedrooms at UCL’s award-winning accommodation in the heart of London, close to the workshops, industry visits and social activities.  The accommodation is used by UCL undergraduate and postgraduate students during term time and has social spaces and quiet study areas, perfect for downtime.

  The residence boasts modern communal lounges, a furnished outdoor courtyard and attractive open-plan dining areas.

  Meals:
  Well balanced, nutritious cooked Breakfast and Dinner are provided in UCL accommodation by catering teams that provide meals for university students during term time. The staff are well accustomed to a variety of dietary requirements.

  Facilities:

  The college underwent a multi-million-pound refurbishment in 2017, boasting over 60 classrooms with interactive whiteboards, state-of-art Science Labs, a modern Lecture Theatre, 2 Auditoriums, Art Studies, Dance Studios and a canteen where you can indulge in a diverse menu of nutritious meals.

  Laundry:
  Laundry is done once a week. All bed linen is provided and is laundered once a week. Towels are not provided.

• University College London (UCL) is a public research university in the heart of London. Founded in 1826, UCL was the third university established in England, following the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge and was the first university institution established in London, currently serving as London’s leading multidisciplinary university, with more than 16,000 staff and 50,000 students from over 150 different countries.

  UCL is renowned for world-class research, global influence and impact across a broad range of subjects. It’s reputation attracts the best and bravest of thinkers, who constantly cross boundaries, creating a home for thought leaders of today and tomorrow. It’s the top 5 universities in the Russell Group along with University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London and London School of Economics. Like Oxford and Cambrige, admission to UCL is highly selective and you’ll usually need A*AA for entry.

  UCL is primarily based in the Bloomsbury area in Central London. The main campus is located around Gower Street, with many other departments close by in Bloomsbury. UCL has 11 academic faculties, including arts and humanities; brain sciences; engineering; education; laws; life sciences; mathematical and physical sciences; medical sciences; population health sciences; social and historical sciences; and the Bartlett, a division focused on architecture and planning. Overall, UCL was ranked second for both research power and market share by both Times Higher Education and Research Professional News, and sixth on research quality (GPA) by Times Higher Education.

  UCL has 18 specialist libraries with more than two million books and subscriptions to more than 35,000 journals, and historic material in Special Collections, and is home to three museums also open to the general public. Students’ Union UCL has a range of facilities available for students to use. This includes cafés, bars, shops, an events venue, a gym, and a hair salon. Students’ Union UCL also has a study space, with plasma screens, desktop computers, white boards, tables for group work and sofas.

  UCL has many notable alumni, including the founder of Mauritius, the first Prime Minister of Japan, one of the co-discoverers of the structure of DNA, and the members of Coldplay. UCL academics discovered five of the naturally occurring noble gases, discovered hormones, invented the vacuum tube, and made several foundational advances in modern statistics. As of 2024, 32 Nobel Prize winners and three Fields medallists have been affiliated with UCL as alumni or academic staff.