Students in Dublin reminded to enter national speech writing competition

ActionAid Ireland is reminding students in Dublin aged between 14 and 18 years to enter the ActionTalks national speech writing competition which carries a top prize of a €500 voucher.

The competition, now in its eleventh year, is an opportunity for young people to explore the root causes of local and global injustices and inequalities.

This year’s themes focus on the leadership role of women during emergencies, conflict and climate disasters; the impact of climate change on women’s rights and overseas aid and women’s rights organisations.

ActionAid works with women and girls supporting them them to design and lead effective local and national campaigns so that they can claim their human rights and hold power to account. 

ActionAid’s Women’s Rights Programme, funded by Irish Aid (Department of Foreign Affairs), works to reduce violence against women and girls. Irish Aid programmes are funded by Irish citizens and play an important global role in supporting women and girls.

Karol Balfe, CEO of ActionAid Ireland said: “The ActionTalks competition is designed to build students’ research, writing, critical thinking and public speaking skills, as well as giving young people a chance to have their voices heard on global issues. Students from Dublin can submit their entries before the deadline of Friday 24^th January”

Entries to the competition can be submitted to ActionAid by email in written form, and fifteen successful entrants will go forward to the regionals final, with six regional winners winning a €50 voucher each. 

At the national final in March the six finalists will be asked to present their speech to a panel of esteemed judges. The national prize is a €500 voucher for the winner and a €100 voucher for their teacher.

ActionAid is hoping entrants will come up with innovative, well-researched, and creative speeches, using their own unique perspective. 

To take part in the ActionTalks competition, students are invited to write a 600 to 800 words speech on one of the following topics:

• The climate crisis is causing devastation across the globe, affecting in particular countries in the Global South and particularly for women, driven by our dependence on fossil fuels. Unless the world urgently ends our reliance on fossil fuels, women’s rights will be denied and violated due to the impacts of climate change. Discuss. 
•   Around the world, women experience violations of their human rights and higher levels of poverty than men. Despite this, just 5 per cent of Official Development Assistance allocated to ending violence against women reaches women’s rights organisations. The focus of overseas aid needs a radical reform to address the denial of women’s rights and gender inequality globally. Discuss.
•  During emergencies, climate disasters and conflict women experience higher levels of death, gender-based violence and marginalisation, and yet women are also critical to emergency responses, community cohesion and collective action. The leadership role of women during emergencies, conflict and climate disasters is overlooked, and yet is so important in preparing for and recovering from disasters. Discuss.

To enter, students can ask their teacher for details or visit https://actionaid.ie/speech-writing-competition/