Voice Victoria Competition
A group of Years 7 and 8 students participated in a public speaking competition run by UN Youth Australia called Voice Victoria. Students selected a topic of interest from a list of pressing global issues, then presented speeches and answered questions posed to them by a panel of judges. Our students spoke eloquently and passionately about issues such as improving mental health, promoting high-quality journalism, and ensuring equal access to education and technology in all parts of the world.
Over 150 students across Victoria are participating in the competition this year, where the top-scoring students will be invited to the final round of the competition next month. Congratulations to all of our participating students who showcased what being an Ivanhoe Learner is all about – being compassionate and ethical with the issues they spoke about as well as courageous in putting their hand up to take part in this competition.
Student Reflections
“I entered the Voice Victoria Competition because it gave me an opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and learn new and interesting things about a topic I wasn’t too sure about. It boosted my confidence and improved my public speaking skills, but also gave me a chance to listen to many other amazing speeches and open my eyes to more issues globally.” – Anata
“My experience with the Voice Victoria Competition made me feel more confident about public speaking and I learnt about global issues from other speeches. I was interested in participating because I have never done public speaking before and I thought this would be an amazing opportunity. It was definitely nerve-racking but also worth it.” – Ananthiy
“I found that the Voice Victoria competition was a fun, interesting and unique experience. I haven’t done any kind of public speaking competitions before, so it was something different for me to try. I think that it helped me improve on my public speaking skills and I learnt more about sustainability and current global issues in the media. Overall, it was an experience that I would be interested in again.” – Elora
“The Voice Victoria Competition was very fun as we were able to research topics we had not previously heard about and find out why they were an issue. I also enjoyed listening to everyone’s speeches.” – Philomena
“I really enjoyed listening to others speak about the same or different topics as they all had different points of view, and it was really interesting to hear them talk about their opinions. I really enjoyed the workshop as it allowed us to have a say in what we do and a chance to be collaborative. I also had a chance to express my opinions through public speaking. I really wanted to practice my public speaking and Voice really gave me that chance. Overall, I enjoyed the experience.” – Tharinie
