IPSC 2000 ALUMNI REUNION
This year we brought back participants from the 2000 International Public Speaking Competition to reunite, reconnect and remember ten years after their first meeting in London. The alumni were able to re-live aspects of their programme with this year’s students, including a trip to the theatre to watch a performance of The Woman in Black. The alumni who joined the competition for the week were from Bulgaria, Lebanon, Georgia, Argentina, Portugal, Romania, Mauritius, Brazil and India. On the evening of 20 May, the alumni gathered at Dartmouth House to enjoy drinks in the sunny courtyard, laughed, applauded and cringed as they watched the dvd of the 2000 IPSC final in which they had competed. Here’s what one alumna had to say about the experience:
“I could mention all the international friends, the fun rides and tours in London, the unique knowledge and momentum. However, these are the most-known aspects of this fantastic journey. For me, being part of the [IPSC] in 2000 is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that is happening until today. Personally, taking part in this event was, most of all, the chance to build a more fearless, adventurous and communicative personality. Once one has been up on a stage presenting one’s own words to a highly educated international audience, in a foreign language, facing other challenges in life becomes a much easier task. I don’t mean that this competition is a magic solution for the problems to come. It is, however, a self-confidence foundation stone which I can spot in all the situations in my life. And to the 2010 competitors, I say: ‘I do not know what the future holds for us, but I know what we hold for our future: more self-confidence and courage to face whatever comes’.” Isabela Caixeta, Brazil
DIALOGUE 7