Andover Rotary Club held its annual Youth Speaks competition at Harrow Way on Monday 24th January. The evening was split into two parts, Intermediate and Senior sections. Harrow Way successfully won the Senior section, best senior speaker and best senior proposer and go through to the next round which will be held again at Harrow Way on the 10th February. Harrow Way Senior team was represented by: Chairperson: Lynsey Grover, Speaker: Daniel Falcone, Proposer: Alice Longshaw. Harrow Way Intermediate team was represented by Sophie Chilcott, Madeline Lofthouse and Lauren Willis.
The evening started with the Intermediate section, of which five schools had entered. The winning team was John Hanson, who spoke on the subject of ‘Who really wears the trousers in families today?’ They described how each family member thought they were in charge but when it came down to it, it was the youngest siblings.
Test Valley discussed if censorship should be given the right of the parent. Rookwood asked: when was the last time you heard ‘the sound of silence’? Winton took us through the ages about a ‘crazy little thing called love’. Harrow Way wanted to know why people are ‘still smoking’, even though the effects out way the benefits.
The Senior section consisted of four teams, winning this section was Harrow Way who portrayed the life of GCSE student. They described how studying for GCSEs controls a student life, and took up all their time with homework and revision demands.
Rookwood were worried about the future of genetics and are we doing the right thing by intervening with nature. In the future will we be creating ‘the pick and mix generation’ of babies. The speakers from Test Valley thought the government was wrong to give ‘Teenage Contraception’ to girls as young as thirteen; they thought that it promoted sex rather than aid the campaign to lower the teenage pregnancy rate. The last speakers of the night were Winton School; they debated ‘can you be an individual when you are forced to conform to a standard’.
Intermediate Winners:
Best Chairperson: Cassie Rist (Rookwood)
Best Speaker: Josh Wheeler (John Hanson)
Best Proposer: Annie Smith (John Hanson)
Overall Winning Team: John Hanson
Senior Winners:
Best Chairperson: Eloise Yard (Test Valley)
Best Speaker: Daniel Falcone (Harrow Way)
Best Proposer: Alice Longshaw (Harrow Way)
Overall Winning Team: Harrow Way