Courage: The First Youth Speaker Slam®
On April 14, 2019, ten speakers aged 10 to 16 took the stage at the CSI Annex in Toronto for the first Youth Speaker Slam®. The afternoon was almost five months in the making and was hosted by two young leaders from the Speaker Slam® community, Sam Demma and Lillie Rovinelli.
It followed the format of the main competition: five speeches, a short break, five more, and then words of wisdom from one of the judges before the winners were announced. The theme was Courage, and the speakers took it in every direction, from bullying and self-acceptance to protecting wildlife from plastic.
1st Place: Fatima Sultan
Ten-year-old Fatima was the youngest speaker in the lineup and the first-ever Youth Speaker Slam® champion. Asked how it felt, she thanked the room and the other speakers: "Everyone here who participated did amazing. We all gave our best shot, and I'm so happy that everyone was able to compete and use their voice."
2nd Place: Carina Palmer
Carina, 16, shared a story she had kept hidden for two years. She described the months it took before she could open up to a therapist, and the steps that followed. The last step was the speech itself. "In the beginning, I could not even tell one person on a comfortable leather couch. But today, I stand on an open stage to tell many individuals my story. Today, I am voicing my courage."
3rd Place: Fiona Pavlovska
Fiona, 16, took third place.
Every Speaker, Every Story
Angelina Tropper, Georgie Tsiolis, Kylah Triffo, Liam Richter, Maxwell He, Palak Agarwal and Serena Ge completed the lineup. A few lines from the afternoon:
- "Be brave. Find the courage in your heart to accept yourself for who you are."
- "Why are we waiting for others to make the difference? We should make the difference ourselves."
- "I want to live in a world where butterflies survive and flap their wings and create hurricanes. Perhaps hurricanes of kindness all around the world."
Maxwell, who had just turned 15, was also recognized with an award from the judges' panel.
Meet the Judges Who Made It All Happen
All four judges volunteered their time.
- Mr. Good Vibes, youth speaker, entrepreneur and former NCAA Division 1 soccer player
- Brittany Krystantos, author and speaker
- Kasha Slavner, filmmaker, photographer, author and UN youth advocate
- Joze Piranian, TEDx speaker, comedian and Speaker Slam®'s 2017 Inspirational Speaker of the Year
One judge summed up the afternoon by asking the room for a standing ovation: "I don't even want to call them kids. All these young, aspiring public speakers... who's training these kids? They're really good."
Youth Speaker Slam® returned online in March 2021 on the theme of Friendship. Read the full story in Youth Speaker Slam: The Speakers of Tomorrow.
Meet the full lineup in Meet the Speakers for Youth Speaker Slam: Courage 2019 and the panel in Meet Your Judges for Youth Speaker Slam: Courage 2019.
Watch Every Speech from Youth Speaker Slam: Courage 2019
