Friendship: The First Online Youth Speaker Slam®
On March 30, 2021, Youth Speaker Slam® returned as an online competition. About 40 young speakers entered, some from as far as Vancouver and the United States, including students from the FDT Academy in Vancouver, Brain Power and Olympiads. Ten of them made the final, in two divisions: Juniors and Seniors.
The theme was Friendship. As Rina explained, she and Dan like to live each theme themselves, and this one was easy: "Hello, we're best friends."
Rina also looked back at the first Youth Speaker Slam®, held on a live stage in 2019. Since then, young speakers had started entering the main competition, and one of them, 15-year-old Ashley Wong, had won it. Of this year's entrants she said: "Every single one of the people in this competition, I believe, could actually compete in our regular competition. That's how good they are."
Each finalist spoke for four and a half minutes and received feedback from one of the judges.
Senior Division
1st Place: Ana Milu
Ana asked a question most speeches about friendship avoid: what happens when friendships don't last? She told the story of a best friend from elementary school and how they grew apart. "We learn patience. We accept the new and treasure what we had. We learn redefinition."
Accepting her medal, Ana said: "As someone who has always loved to talk and tell stories, being heard and just being seen is absolutely an amazing feeling." She thanked Rina and Dan for believing in her, and Brain Power for their support.
2nd Place: Angel Zhao
3rd Place: Anita Pan
Junior Division
1st Place: Ariel Motta
The Junior champion kept it short: "Thank you for letting me share this moment with you guys. I'm so glad to be here today, and I wouldn't have had it without the help of my mom."
2nd Place: Alithea Lauraitis
3rd Place: Amos Zhu
Every Speaker, Every Story
Alisa Raguimov, Jackson Smith-Ruttan, Enya Fang and Victoria Moldovan completed the final ten. A few lines from the night:
- "We're like macaroni and ketchup. We're a seemingly mismatched pair that has taught me that sometimes even the most unlikely people can become your best friends."
- "I love my grandparents. Now, our rope of friendship is securely tied, and it's only getting stronger."
- "When we connect with someone else, we give them a part of ourselves. We hand them the keys to our secrets."
- "True friends are never apart. Perhaps in distance, but never at heart."
Meet the Judges Who Made It All Happen
- Blake Fly
- Joel Hilchey, change leadership speaker and entrepreneur
- Pauleanna Reid, celebrity ghostwriter and journalist
- Rachel Weinstock, transformational coach for teens, bullying prevention expert and teacher
Thank you to the teachers and coaches who prepared these speakers, and to the families watching at home.
Read the full story of the youth competition in Youth Speaker Slam: The Speakers of Tomorrow, and meet the panel in Meet Your Judges for Youth Competition: Friendship 2021.
Watch Every Speech from Youth Competition: Friendship 2021
