The Power of Young Voices
The power of young voices was celebrated once again when Soroptimist International Solihull and District hosted its second joint Junior and Secondary Schools Public Speaking Competition at Solihull Sixth Form College. The competition brought together 10 local schools, six Junior and four Secondary. The 2026 topics gave pupils plenty to think about.
Junior speakers considered
- Technology and growing up safely,
- Making their voices heard to protect the planet
- How schools can support a healthy and happy mind
Secondary speakers tackled
- Responsibility for climate change
- The imaginative prompt, “If I could travel in time.”
Judging Panel
The judging arrangements had to change at short notice. Carmen Watson, High Sheriff of the County of West Midlands, Deputy Lieutenant and Chair of Pertemps, was involved in a car accident and was unable to attend.
Councillor Shaheen Ashraf MBE stepped in as head judge, with Alison McGrory, Assistant Director, Communities & Partnerships at Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and Dr Perry Wardle, Director of Economy at Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council joining her.
and the Winners were .......
From the secondary schools the competition winner is Zac Spittle from Arden Academy. Zac spoke to the topic “Is climate change for us to solve now,” Ellie Bartley from Greswold Primary School won the junior school competition with her thoughts on “How van technology help me, not harm me. They each won a voucher to spend in Touchwood, thanks to the generosity of our sponsor, Pertemps.
Confidence and Independent Thought
For Soroptimist International Solihull and District, the competition is about much more than public speaking. It is an opportunity to encourage confidence, independent thought and the ability of young people to make their voices heard. Skills that will serve them throughout their lives.
All the Judges and our other guests including the Mayor of Solihull Councillor Sardul Singh Marwa MBE JP, and Councillor Karen Grinsell, Leader of the Council and Lead Member for Children and Education, agreed that these young people had demonstrated that they were well on the way to taking centre stage.
Want to find out more about Soroptimists and what we do?
Visit our Solihull Club website and you can find us on Facebook too. Contact us here and join us at one of our meetings – we meet on the second Thursday of every month. Find out more about other Soroptimist Clubs by going to the SIGBI website here To find out about Soroptimists Worldwide visit the Soroptimist International website here
