On March 4th, Young Speakers Scotland hosted the finals of our annual Public Speaking Competition.
This event sees young people from around Scotland deliver speeches on a set of themes. Speakers are divided into a junior and senior division, with the winning speaker in each division getting a coveted trophy and a chance to take part in the ESU’s International Public Speaking Competition.
This year the speeches were of an extremely high quality. Our judges were treated to moving, humorous and inspiring stories that took inspiration from speakers’ personal lives, Greek mythology, contemporary politics and science.
After much deliberation, our judges awarded the junior prize to Jabin Ravikrishnan of Graeme High School and the senior prize to Kathryn Taylor of Wellington School. Congratulations to both winners and to all of our finalists!
Graeme High School takes part in our Speak up Scotland workshops, which use debating & public speaking to help young people gain confidence and the ability to advocate for themselves. It was great to see one of our workshop participants go on to win this prestigious competition.