Powerful Speech Earns Semi-final Spot at Race Unity Speech Awards
Media Story by Rachael Comer, Timaru Herald,
Timaru Canterbury
India Robb, left, of Craighead Diocesan School and Aisha Wakefield of Roncalli College at the recent Central South Island Race Unity Speech Awards regional heat in Timaru.
A Craighead Diocesan School student was named the Central South Island champion at the recent Race Unity Speech Awards regional heat for her powerful speech on listening to understand.
India Robb, who is in year 13 at the Timaru school, is now a semi-finalist at the Race Unity Speech Awards national hui to be held in Auckland in early May.
If successful, she will then go on to compete in the finals.
The regional event was held at Multicultural Aoraki late last month.
Central South Island regional co-ordinator Afsaneh Howey said one of the questions students were asked to consider was: "How does listening to understand help us to respond to the challenges of diversity and isolation?" Howey described Robb's speech as powerful, saying she had used it to talk about "how once a child feels safe within diversity, they can feel confident to build thriving connections with those different from themselves".
"when someone stops to focus on what they have in common rather than the differences between them, friendships can blossom, and isolation is combatted through connection," Howey said.
This year's theme, Listening to understand Whakarongo kia marama, was a useful starting point when seeking to foster respect and trust across diverse cultural and ethnic groups, schools, neighbourhoods and workplaces, she said.
Howey said the Central South Island event had been contested by two students from two different Timaru high schools, and she hoped secondary schools in the region would support it more in the future.
"The speeches were very powerful with strong delivery and clear messaging," she said.
"These speeches were both very inspirational and very well crafted."
The semi-finals, final and national hui in Auckland will be held over May 9 and 10.