Toby Roys a student at Thomond Community College has been chosen as a finalist in the ActionAid Speech Writing Competition
Over 100 students from more than 30 schools entered the competition, now in its third year. Toby is one of nine finalists selected to deliver their speech in Dublin on 22nd March.
There were three topics to choose from; women’s rights, resource redistribution and women’s leadership during humanitarian disaster.
CEO of ActionAid Ireland Siobhán McGee said:
“Each year we have been hugely impressed by the quality of speeches we receive, and this year the standard was really exceptional. It is clear that a lot of time and effort has gone into each speech, and it was very difficult to choose our finalists. However, Toby’s speech really stood out in terms of the writing skills demonstrated and a very high standard of analysis.”
The top two students chosen in the final will travel with their teachers to visit Kenya to see ActionAid’s women’s rights programme first hand. The winners will be chosen by an independent panel of judges.
The Irish Government, through Irish Aid, funds ActionAid’s Women’s Rights programme in Kenya, Malawi, Nepal and Vietnam. ActionAid uses this funding to work with vulnerable communities to prevent girls from marrying young and then dropping out of school as a result and to prevent gender based violence.
The final will take place on Wednesday 22nd March 2017 in the Royal Irish Academy (RIA), Dublin from 2pm to 5pm.
