South Surrey Youth Showcase Talent in Community Speech Competition

Students from various age groups participated in a speech competition hosted by White Rock’s U-TOP Institute on February 1, 2025. The event, titled “The Power of Voice Open Speech Competition,” aimed to foster confidence and celebrate community engagement among youth.

Event Organization and Purpose

Co-founders of U-TOP, Christine Zhang and Joy Zhou, organized this competition after recognizing a lack of public speaking training in the area. “When we started in this area, we noticed there was no kind of training like this,” Zhou stated. U-TOP has been offering public speaking classes in White Rock for seven years, and the founders believed they had developed the necessary resources to hold a significant event.

The duo began preparations in November 2024, reaching out to local schools and community members to gauge interest in a speech competition. “We want young people to consider their daily life, not focus on social media and those types of things,” Zhang explained, emphasizing the importance of personal connections. The response from the community was overwhelmingly positive, leading to collaboration with local schools and the White Rock Toastmasters to bring the event to fruition.

Competition Highlights

The event took place at the South Surrey Recreation and Arts Centre, welcoming students from Grades 3 and above. Participants were divided into two categories: Grades 3 to 6 and Grades 7 to 12. The theme for this inaugural year was “My Community, My Story.”

Before the competition commenced, masters of ceremonies Jenny Peng and Corrine Hou, along with judge Rick LeBlanc from Toastmasters, addressed the audience. “We hope to see not just confident speakers out there but young people who are learning about courage, empathy and the confidence to share their stories,” Zhang remarked. LeBlanc added, “This is an event to celebrate – celebrate the great community and promote the importance of public speaking.”

The competition featured a diverse array of speeches, showcasing varying levels of confidence and experience. Some speeches tackled serious issues, while others brought humor to the audience. By the end of the event, three winners were announced in each category.

In the Junior Division, the winners included:
– 1st Place: William Liu (Grade 6, Southridge School) with “A Good Community Means a Good Life”
– 2nd Place: Sophia Yue (Grade 6, Tatalu Elementary) with “My Pal, My Principal”
– 3rd Place: Sunny Hui (Grade 6, Ray Shepherd Elementary) with “A Problem in My Community and How We Can Solve It”

In the Senior Division, the winners were:
– 1st Place: Josie Qu (Grade 8, Semiahmoo Secondary) with “A Pathway Home”
– 2nd Place: Arthur Wang (Grade 11, Semiahmoo Secondary) with “A Community That Cares”
– 3rd Place: Zilin Luo (Grade 8, Semiahmoo Secondary) with “Community Bonds Us Together”

Following the award ceremony, Zhang and Zhou announced that all donations collected through competition registration and external contributions would benefit the Peace Arch Hospital Foundation.

The co-founders expressed aspirations for the event to grow, envisioning it as an annual speech competition that continues to engage and inspire youth in their community. For more information about the U-TOP Institute, interested parties can visit their website.