Hi, I'm Grace, and this summer my friend Sage and I are doing a 21-mile sponsored walk from Petersfield to Portsmouth, finishing with a cold-water plunge at Hayling Island Beach. For Sage, this is essentially a dream day out. For me, it is genuinely my worst nightmare. But I wanted to actually earn the sponsorship, so here we are.

All money raised goes towards my place on a Debate Mate volunteering trip to Nepal. For three weeks, we will be delivering debate workshops, public speaking sessions and critical thinking activities to around 600 students across five regions in Nepal. The programme ends with a national debating competition bringing students together from across the country.

Why I care about this

For the past year, I've been volunteering as a mentor with Debate Mate in a primary school in Manchester, and honestly, it's been one of the best things I've ever done.

I watched a class that was split into cliques become a team, and I saw kids realise they were actually really good at debating. Some of them surprised themselves and by the end, they all had a new confidence in their voice.

Debating builds this confidence. It builds communication skills and self-belief. Those things shape who gets heard, who gets hired and who gets ahead. And access to them is still really unequal. That's what this programme is trying to change for young people in some of Nepal's most disadvantaged communities.

About Debate Mate

Debate Mate is a UK-based charity delivering after-school debating workshops for children in areas of need. The programme uses debating to teach life skills such as communication, teamwork and critical thinking. It's not just about arguing - it's about giving confidence to kids and showing them their voice matters.

Your donation goes directly towards the cost of my place on the programme. Every bit helps, and I'm genuinely so grateful for any support you're able to give.

Hopefully, I survive the walk and actually make it to Nepal!