Bromsgrove schoolgirl wins public speaking competition

South Bromsgrove High School student Olivia Harvey recently won a schools public speaking competition organised by Soroptimist International Midland Arden.

Olivia’s topic was “Should freedom to protest be an unrestricted right?” and she spoke without the aid of visual aids, microphones, or scripts.

Olivia was one of 11 candidates representing schools in Bromsgrove, Kenilworth, Stourbridge, Kidderminster, Solihull, Stratford upon Avon and Stourbridge. The competition format saw the candidates chose a topic from a list of eight and they had four minutes to talk on this topic. All candidates were aged between 14 and 18.

The aim of the competition is to support and encourage the development of effective communications skills in young people, as all walks of life, especially the business world, are increasingly reliant on these abilities.

The competition helps develop self-confidence and personality and encourages young people to play a more prominent part in public life by having the experience of speaking on a public platform. It also gives them the experience and discipline of speaking in a limited timescale after formulating ideas on a topical subject.

Fred Kinney from Alderbrook School in Solihull came second having chosen to speak on the topic “Who or what inspires you?” and Jayan Luharia of Tudor Grange School in Solihull came third after speaking on “What is the most important lesson of your life so far?”

Olivia was sponsored by Bromsgrove and Redditch Soroptimist Club. Regional president and club member Liz Every said: “It’s a fantastic experience for these young people and we are delighted as an organisation to encourage them to compete.”

The Bromsgrove and Redditch club meets every second Thursday of the month at 7pm at Tardebigge Church Hall, B60 3AH. For more information on their programme for the coming year visit www.sigbi.org/bromsgrove-andredditch or email sibrsoroptimist@gmail.com

Soroptimist International is the largest global service organisation for women, whose aim is to transform the lives of women and girls through education, empowerment, and enablement. They have consultative status at the United Nations, along with Soroptimist representatives at all seven UN locations. Its membership globally is 75,000 in 120 countries. For more information on Soroptimist International visit www.soroptimistinternational.org

Next year’s competition will again be held in Bromsgrove on Saturday, March 16th 2024 at the Methodist Church Centre. It is hoped that once again candidates will amaze everyone in attendance.

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