Motivational speaker for high schools
Glen Gerreyn has presented in 750 schools across 25 years. In-person seminars for Years 7 to 12 that build hope and resilience, delivered in a quiet room with pen and paper. Based in South East Queensland, presenting Australia-wide.
A speaker who earns the room
A motivational speaker for high schools either wins the room in the first 5 minutes or loses it for the hour. In 25 years and 750 schools, from metro colleges to remote communities, Glen hasn’t lost one.
Every seminar runs the same way. A quiet room. Pen and paper, no screens. Students take notes because the content asks something of them, and the proof arrives afterwards: students write in with the steps they’ve taken.
Schools book Glen as a high school motivational speaker for year-level seminars, wellbeing incursions, whole school wellbeing programs, and parent evenings. The format changes. The standard doesn’t.
Choose your seminar
We deliver 5 seminars and we’ve refined them for 25 years. Pick the one that fits your year level and your term.
Day of Hope
The flagship. A 5-hour social and emotional wellbeing seminar for Years 10 to 12 that resets how students see their future.
See the seminar →Hope Express
The condensed format. A high-energy session that fits inside a school timetable and gives students a foundation to build a hope-filled future.
See the seminar →Men of Honour
For teenage boys. Consent and respect education that boys don’t switch off from. A respectful relationships program that actually lands.
See the seminar →Brilliant Young Mind
Learning techniques for the exam years: how to study, and how to hold focus when the pressure climbs.
See the seminar →Positive Parenting
A parent evening built on positive psychology research, so the message students hear at school gets backed up at home.
See the seminar →What it costs
Seminars start from $2,450. The final figure depends on the format, the number of sessions, and travel. You’ll have a fixed quote in writing before you book, so there are no surprises on the invoice.
Most providers won’t publish a number. We’d rather you plan your term with real figures. The FAQs cover the detail, including group sizes, AV needs, and how far ahead to book.
For the full breakdown, read our guide to how to choose a motivational speaker for students. It covers what to look for and what a good speaker should cost.
Where Glen presents
Glen is based in South East Queensland, which makes Brisbane, Gold Coast, and Sunshine Coast schools the simplest bookings on the calendar. He presents in every state and territory, and takes international bookings for schools in NZ, Asia, and the US.
Metro, regional, or remote: if your students can fill a hall, Glen will get there.
Your presentation today moved me like no other person I’ve spoken to has. Your seminar has given me reason to wake up.
A student, writing in after Day of Hope
After the seminar
The seminar is the spark. The follow-up keeps it burning: courses, classroom resources, and books built on the same framework, so your teachers can keep the language alive long after the hall empties.
Where we work
Glen presents in person across Australia. If you are booking locally, start with the city pages: student wellbeing seminars in Brisbane, student wellbeing seminars in Sydney, student wellbeing seminars in Melbourne, and student wellbeing seminars in Perth.Adelaide is on the list too: student wellbeing seminars in Adelaide run in blocks, so one confirmed date often covers 2 or 3 SA schools in the same week.
Booking outside a school? Camps, councils, youth groups, and conferences run the same session, and weekends are fine. Start here: youth speaker.
Chasing the exam-year study angle specifically? That session has its own page: study skills speaker.
What a motivational speaker for high schools actually changes
Most assemblies fade by lunch. A HopeFULL seminar is built to survive the walk back to class. Glen Gerreyn has spent 25 years in front of high school students, 750 schools and counting, and the method holds every time: a quiet room, pen and paper, no devices, and one idea students can act on before Friday.
Hope is a skill. We name it, break it into grit, optimism, courage, and resilience, then hand students something to practise. That's the difference between a speaker who lifts the mood for an hour and a seminar that still shows up in the way a Year 10 handles the next knockback. We explain the why, then we show the how.
As a guest speaker for high schools, Glen works with Years 7 to 12, in person, right across Australia. No two year levels get the same talk. A Year 8 room and a Year 12 room carry different weights, and the material meets each where it sits. The room stays quiet, the focus stays high, and the students do the writing.
Schools book us because the work holds. Teachers write in weeks later with what a student did next: the apology that got made, the subject picked back up, the training that finally started. That's the proof we care about, and it's why term calendars fill early.
If you want a motivational speaker for high schools who leaves teachers with less to clean up and students with something they can use on Monday, start with the Day of Hope seminar, our most-booked program. Then email hello@thehopefullinstitute.com with your preferred term dates and we'll check availability.
What school leaders say
Students write in. So do the staff who booked the day.
I had all 180 students evaluate the sessions we had at our school. In total we had 10 sessions run with different presenters on a range of topics. All 180 of our students rated Glen’s presentation as a 10/10. No other session received as high ratings or comments.
The staff have been commenting ever since with statements like that is the best presentation I have seen in my teaching career.
I have been inundated with requests to get involved in community projects, students nominating for leadership positions and wanting to donate blood to the Red Cross.
I have heard nothing but good things from the boys and staff but this reinforces everything I have been told. We will be rebooking.
Even the most disengaged boys found Glen engaging and inspirational. We were contacted by several of our parents congratulating us.
Last night we had students stay behind at training for extra practice, sign up for the gym and many more stories.
Common questions
What does a motivational speaker for high schools cost in Australia?
Seminars start from $2,450. The final figure depends on the format, the number of sessions, and travel. You get a fixed quote in writing before you book, so the invoice holds no surprises.
What year levels do you present to?
Years 7 to 12. Day of Hope is built for Years 10 to 12. A Year 8 room and a Year 12 room carry different weights, so the material meets each one where it sits.
How long does a seminar run?
Day of Hope runs for 5 hours. Hope Express is the condensed format and fits inside a normal school timetable. Men of Honour, Brilliant Young Mind, and Positive Parenting sit between the two.
How far ahead should we book?
Most schools book at least a term ahead, and popular dates go earlier than that. Email your preferred week and we will tell you what is still open.
What do students need to bring?
A pen and paper. The room stays quiet and the screens stay off, because students take better notes by hand. Day of Hope, Men of Honour, and Brilliant Young Mind come with a student workbook.
Do you present outside Queensland?
Yes. Glen is based in South East Queensland and presents in every state and territory. International bookings run for schools in New Zealand, Asia, and the United States.
What happens after the seminar?
The seminar is the spark. Courses, classroom resources, and books built on the same framework let your teachers keep the language alive long after the hall empties.
Check your date
Term calendars fill early. Email hello@thehopefullinstitute.com with your preferred dates, or request a booking online.
Book a seminarRead the FAQs