UAE SCHOOLS UNITE VIRTUALLY

November 4th 2020

The UN Global Goals are aspirations that we have for humanity, and students from across the UAE gathered to celebrate them, as part of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. On October 26th-28th the UN Global Goals Public Speaking Competition took place. This national competition was organised by BSAK's Global Social Leaders and had a unique twist: it was completely virtual. Over three days of rigourous judging 100 youth speakers from 8 schools across the UAE presented and shared their thoughts on how we can bring the UN Global Goals to life. The Finals were livestreamed and the judging panel included Mrs. Zaina AL Hashmi Sustainability Specialist at ADNOC, Swedish Ambassador to the UAE Mr. Henrik Landerholm, BSAK Head of Secondary Ms. Teresa Woulfe, Assistant Editor and columnist at The National Nick March and Ms. Nabiha Mohamed, educator and Global Social Leader mentor. They narrowed down the entries to the top 13 speeches, where topics ranged from gender equality to neurodiversity to depletion of resources to climate change.

Top Speaker 2020 and Gold winner of the Back To Basics Category, Year 11 student Zoha quoted "This competition allowed youth to share their views on issues that are not usually addressed by our age group, and it helps us truly become the generation who will make a change. I have learnt just how important it is that we achieve the UN goals, and that everyone's opinions and views should be taken into account, so we can all make a positive impact on the world we share."

Gold winner in the Justice for All Category, Year 10 student Sreya commented that "this competition held immense value for me as I had the opportunity to speak out about a topic that I was incredibly passionate about. It wasn't about the recognition or accolades I would receive, but more about how I could spread awareness. I have learnt about various different subjects; staggering facts and statistics that have made me pause and think about how lucky I am. I've also learnt how to help those less fortunate and how to take action against the current issues we face, whether that be climate change, discrimination or poverty."

Teacher and current mentor to the Global Social Leaders Morgan Whitfield was beyond impressed with the quality of the speeches "The research and understanding of world affairs was spot on, but what struck me was the empathy that students brought to their speeches. They spoke with an urgency for change that was invigorating. These young minds offered concrete steps to solving some of the most entrenched world issues, and this made me so hopeful.

Winners

Top Speaker 2020- Zoha Khan- BSAK

Justice For All

Gold- Sreya - BSAK

Silver - Aahna Syed- Al Yasmina Academy

Bronze- Ishtanetra Siva- Al Yasmina Academy, Sara Al Nobani- British International School Abu Dhabi

Flourishing Communities

Gold- Hollie Wilson- Brighton Abu Dhabi

Silver- Lina Awad- Al Bateen Academy

Bronze- Philip Dackiw- Cranleig hAbu Dhabi

Save the Planet

Gold- Lakshmi Puthanpurakkal- Al Bateen Academy