College team put in special performance in Youth Speaks competition

The Sixth Form College beat competition from schools across Wirral to secure second place in the 2016 edition of the annual Rotary Club of Birkenhead ‘Youth Speaks’ event.

The college had the distinction of hosting the public speaking contest, which also featured teams from selective schools including Wirral Grammar and Birkenhead School, along with others such as Woodchurch High School.

Three students from each school presented talks on a range of subjects, including education, the effects of accents and the influence of the media.

During Debate Club, the college team decided on the complex and thought-provoking subject of the UK’s nuclear programme Trident and whether it should be renewed at a cost to the taxpayer running over £30bn.

Chairperson for the Sixth Form College’s team, Erin Bound, set the scene before handing the reins to main speaker, Jack Hudson, who gave an impassioned argument against renewing the missile operation.

After the result, Jack said: “We put our all into it and it was always going to be a close game. We put in a strong showing. Obviously, we wanted to come first and that’s what we prepared ourselves to do, but second place was a very good performance.”

Ava Powell-Wallis, who wrapped up the team’s offering with a summary and a vote of thanks, agreed, saying: “I’m pleased to come second. The other schools were really good but I think we deserved it.”

Birkenhead School took the award first the first time after the Sixth Form College’s domination for the last five years, but Chairman of the Youth Speaks Judges, Glyn Mon Hughes, said that the difference was a matter of two or three points.

Mr Mon Hughes said: “For the top two, I think it was the quality of what they said, the research they’d undertaken and confidence.

“The college put in a good performance on the background of knowing what they were saying and the ability to be able to communicate it well, which I think all the teams did but there were one or two who were that bit special.”