LINCOLNSHIRE SCHOOL WAXES LYRICAL
IN ROTARY YOUTH SPEAKS NATIONAL FINAL

What::: Rotary Youth Speaks
When:: Saturday 8th May 2010
Where: Stratford Upon Avon High School, Stratford Upon Avon.

Tilly Parry, Amelia Elliot and Rhian Edwards from Bourne Grammar School, Lincolnshire, took to the stage in the grand final of the Rotary Youth Speaks 2010 Intermediate category and dazzled the audience. The team, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Bourne & Bourne St Peter’s, were up against six other groups who had all made their way through local school and regional heats before coming to Stratford on Avon for the Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland (RIBI) challenge.

Their presentation “To P.E. or not P.E.” gave the audience plenty to think about and the title seemed particularly appropriate given the location of the final is Shakespeare’s birth town.

Paul Blunt, retired Open University director, was one of the judges: “This has been a remarkable experience. We have all been struck by the maturity of the presentations. I could have closed my eyes and adults could have been speaking. There has been effective use of humour which made presentations that much better.

“The teams have been through several rounds and we have very experienced speakers here today. What has come over is that the speakers love their subjects. When dealing with public speaking, you have to know and love your subject.”
RIBI President David Fowler said: “It is a pleasure and a privilege to be here. Everyone here has made their way through regional heats, in their own right and own region, everyone is a winner. Congratulations to each and every one of you today. The standard is incredibly high and there are truly outstanding speakers. Their eloquence is to be marveled at and they have given the audience much to think about.

“In a time when youth is much maligned, these youngsters have shown how honourable, talented and inquisitive young people are. They are tomorrow’s leaders and it is well worth our while to encourage their talents. The future is certainly safe in their hands.

“At RIBI, we work very hard to make sure everyone has a chance to develop their leadership skills and confidence while making a difference and, of course, having fun along the way. Rotary Youth Speaks is a wonderful opportunity for young people to take centre stage and be heard. The event helps them to test out and hone their oratory and presentation skills.”
RIBI offers several programmes for youngsters. Here are just a few:

Rotary Young Chef
Rotary Young Musician
Rotary Young Photographer
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards
Interact
Rotaract

Photographs provided by Stewart Band of Stewart Band Photography.
The competition offers young people aged 11-17 an experience of speaking on a public platform as members of a team, the discipline of dealing with a topic in a limited time and the opportunity of learning and practicing high standards of expression, presentation and appearance.

The team of three consists of a Chairperson, a Speaker and a Proposer of the vote of thanks. The Chairperson had two minutes to welcome the audience, to introduce the Speaker and to inform the audience of the relevance or expertise of the Speaker to the subject of his/her speech. The speaker had six minutes to present and just two minutes to consider a question posed to them. The Chairperson then introduced the Proposer to conclude.

Here is the list of the participating schools, competition category and chosen topics:
Intermediate category aged 11-13 years of age:

Senior category 14-17 years of age:

Judging the competition is done by examining the following:

• The Chairperson’s management of the meeting (25 points)
• The Speaker’s ability to present argument and answering question (50 points)
• The quality and courtesy of the Vote of thanks (25 points)

 

Photograph provided by Stewart Band of Stewart Band Photography