The Rotary Club of Reading Abbey
Fears of Flying Flapjacks
(Or Highlights of Youth Speaks 2014)
Report and photographs by Jim Walker
Apparently, the Elf ‘n Safety gurus have conspired to ban three-
The annual “Youth Speaks” competition is a UK wide event run by Rotary International in the UK. This Zonal final was organised by the Rotary Club of Reading Abbey, with teams from schools being sponsored by other Rotary Clubs in the area.
The 2014 competition held this year in the hall at Highdown School on 25th February featured five local schools in both the Intermediate and Senior sections. And what a night it was! The competitors kept the audience enthralled, with subjects ranging from ”Tablets vs Teachers” to “Nelson Mandela” and many just as stimulating ones in between.
Inevitably there had to be winners and losers but, as the Judges remarked, entering was a win in itself, as standing and speaking in front of an audience was no mean feat for these youngsters, as many a tongue tied adult would confirm.
Intermediate:
Winners in the Intermediate category were the Abbey School, Reading, who were sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Maiden Erlegh and Loddon Vale. They gave a well thought out treatise on the exigencies of time and how our dedication to it was constraining our lives unnecessarily.
Senior
Winners in the Senior category were the Trinity School, Newbury, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Thatcham. Their thesis was a thought provoking analysis of the constraints imposed on the youth of today and they advocated more emphasis on involvement in poitical debate, noting on the way that the subject was barred in the Youth Speaks contest.
These winning teams now go forward to the District Final on 6th March in Marlow.
