Fermoy student highly commended in national speech writing competition
From 112 entrants across the country, Coláiste an Chraoibhín, Fermoy student Zach Daniels Howard, was a highly commended runner-up in the recent ActionTalks final, which was staged in Dublin.
Along with Ella Fitzgerald, a student at St Aloysius' College, Carrigtwohill, the two secondary students represented Munster at the national speech writing competition run by ActionAid. Ella and Zach were just two of seven finalists chosen to deliver their speeches in front of a panel of expert judges in Dublin’s Royal Irish Academy.
ActionAid works with women and children, as they take the lead in claiming their human rights to build a more just world. The competition, now in its tenth year, is an opportunity for young people to explore the root causes of local and global injustices and inequalities. This year students wrote speeches on climate crisis, gender-based violence and unpaid care work.
Zach’s speech focused on how climate change and conflict can affect the rate of gender-based violence.
“I do a lot of Model
United Nations, so I phrased it the way I would phrase a resolution. I researched Women’s Aid and Amnesty International and organisations like that. Conflict can break down social structures and lead to an imbalance and these organisations would help when this happens,” he said.
Judges included journalist and broadcaster
Philip Boucher-Hayes; Róisín Gallagher, coordinator, Irish Consortium on Gender based violence; writer and advocate Deborah Oniah and Maria Riordan education officer, Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs.
HIGH STANDARD
CEO of ActionAid Ireland, Karol Balfe, said: “It was heartening to see so many students across the country take part in the competition this year and share their views on global issues so articulately and with such passion. The high standard and obvious passion made it very difficult to judge at every stage of the competition.
“Ella and Zach both narrowly missed out on the top spot but should be so proud of their hard work and delivering such excellent speeches," she said.
Entrants came from 20 schools in 12 counties across the country, with the Cork students both being highly commended runners-up.
This competition is supported by Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs, as part of an ActionAid Ireland women’s rights programme in Kenya, Nepal and Ethiopia.