Young people today will become the leaders of tomorrow. That line opened every Youth Speaker Slam announcement, and it captures why Speaker Slam® built a competition for speakers 17 and under: to be the catalyst that propels young leaders forward by giving them a platform for their inspiring stories and revolutionary ideas.
The First Youth Speaker Slam, April 2019
Youth Speaker Slam launched in the spring of 2019, hosted by two young leaders from the Speaker Slam® community: Sam Demma and Lillie Rovinelli. It followed the format of the signature event, with ten young changemakers delivering four to six minute speeches on the theme of Courage for cash and prizes valued up to $500.
The first lineup, on April 14th, 2019 at the CSI Annex Garage in Toronto: Angelina Tropper, Carina Palmer, Fatima Sultan, Fiona Pavlovska, Georgie Tsiolis, Kylah Triffo, Liam Richter, Palak Agarwal, Serena Ge, and Maxwell He. The panel included Speaker Slam® champion Joze Piranian and Kasha Slavner.
The call went out to the Speaker Slam® community to be a beacon: if you know a young person who should be shining on stage, send them our way.
The Online Edition, March 2021
Two years later, with the competition running online, Youth Speaker Slam returned on March 30th, 2021. Ten competitors were split into two categories, Juniors aged 8 to 12 and Seniors aged 13 to 17, each delivering a four-minute speech on the theme of Friendship. The top five in each category advanced to a final in front of four industry judges, with prizes valued up to $2,500 and a Speaker Slam® medal.
Dan and Rina made tickets free so the room would be full. As Rina put it: "We want to shine a light and validate them in their brilliance."
Why It Mattered
Speaker Slam® has always believed that one speech can change your life, and that belief doesn't have an age limit. Youth Speaker Slam was, in Dan's words, one of the things "born" in the first year after going all in on Speaker Slam®, alongside the Emerging Speakers program.
See the 2019 lineup on the Alumni page.