Brentwood School in Essex and the High School of Glasgow have won the national finals of this year’s RIBI Youth Speaks competition which took place on 28th April at the University of Hull.
Brentwood School won the senior competition speaking on their topic, Raising Children without Cutlery. Their inspiration came from a school trip when they bought a tub of ice cream but were not permitted to buy plastic spoons to eat it with. The team gave a perceptive light hearted look at legal restrictions on teenagers which state that those under 18 years of age are not allowed to buy plastic cutlery. Their chairperson was Helen Walls and speaker was Isobel Fewster, who also went on to win the Senior Best Speaker award. The team was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Brentwood a Becket.
The High School of Glasgow won the intermediate competition speaking on their topic, Made in Britain. Alex Gould was the chairperson and Murray Webster the speaker. Alex and Murray also went on to win the Intermediate Best Chairperson and the Intermediate Best Speaker awards. The team was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Glasgow.
John Minhinick, President of RIBI said: “Both teams worked very hard to get through the local regional heats. This year has seen a very high level of competition and our congratulations go not only to Brentwood School and the High School of Glasgow, but to all the other teams who made it through to the national final.”
“To get this far, all teams proved they have a knack for public speaking which will stand them in good stead for whatever they decide to do in the future.”
The RIBI Youth Speaks competition offers young people aged 11-17 experience of speaking on a public platform as members of a team. Each year, hundreds of young people take part in the local and regional events that culminate in the RIBI national final.
