YOUTH Speaks is a Rotary public speaking competition for secondary school students to allow them to challenge their abilities to perform, persuade and entertain an audience with a display of wit and knowledge of a topic of their own choice.
Each year the Rotary Club of Oswestry holds an autumn competition to start the search for teams at both Intermediate and Senior levels with the winning teams progressing to competitions at Rotary District, Regional and then possibly National Finals.
Well supported this year by local schools, the Club competition winners were a senior team from The Marches and an Intermediate team from Moreton Hall.
Although both teams went on to acquit themselves well in the District Round in early March the Senior team from The Marches of Jenny Cyffin-Jones, Christopher Walker and Twila Morris were eliminated despite Jenny winning the Best Speaker of the round.
However the Moreton Hall Intermediate team of Charlotte Pryce, Grace Naylor and Eloise Bowyer won their section speaking on ‘Sexism Has Not Been Solved Just Changed’.
“I talked about LGBTQ rights and women’s rights tracking the development here in the UK from the Suffragettes to the ubiquitous #MeToo Movement.” said their speaker Eloise.
Presenting that same topic at the Regional Final at the Catrin Finch Centre in Wrexham University again last weekend, competition was fierce with the Moreton Hall team coming “a very, very close second” to an excellent Tytherington High School team who will now go on to the National Final in Nottingham.
“The competition has come to an end for this year but what an excellent standard of public speaking we have seen from these young people on their journey.” said Sue Leonard a member of Oswestry Rotary Club. “Congratulations to the Moreton Hall team and many thanks to all the supporters who travelled to encourage them.”
Pictured: (l-r) Jenny Cyffin-Jones, Christopher Walker and Twila Morris
Pictured:(l-r) Eloise Bowyer, Grace Naylor and Charlotte Pryce
