Final call for young people in Longford to speak up about how the coronavirus pandemic is reshaping our world

January 15, 2021 is the final date for entries to ActionTalks, a national speech writing competition run by ActionAid.

The competition, now in its seventh year, aims to engage young people aged 14-17 with global issues, gender equality and sustainable development, and challenges them to use their voice to create positive change. This year the competition has been brought online and the topics focus on coronavirus pandemic.

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The topics are:

• The coronavirus pandemic is an opportunity to imagine a more equal and sustainable world, but we must act now.
• With a shocking increase in violence against women and girls, the coronavirus pandemic has shown us that the struggle for gender equality is far from over.
• The coronavirus pandemic has reminded us of the importance of global solidarity and international aid.
   

“After a year like no other, we hope that the ActionTalks competition is an opportunity for young people to reflect on how the global pandemic has impacted our world and examine where we might go from here. Young people’s voices are often overlooked in times of crises and we look forward to hearing the insight and ideas that young people in Ireland share, having lived through an unprecedented situation," commented Siobhán McGee, CEO ActionAid Ireland.

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Eight young people will be shortlisted to deliver their speech at an online event on February 24, 2021. The competition is open to all students aged 14 to 17. The first prize is a €500 One4All voucher for the winning student and a €500 One4All voucher for their teacher.

ActionAid is committed to providing long term support to the most marginalised women and their children in some of the poorest communities across the world, so they can live a life free of violence and discrimination. ActionAid’s innovative women’s rights programme and this competition is funded by Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs.

For further details and how to enter, visit https://actionaid.ie/speech-writing-competition