The 521 Aurora Air Cadet Squadron held its annual in-house Effective Speaking Competition on Feb.23.
The Effective Speaking Program is an optional activity offered to youth in the Cadet Program, and teaches the required skills of public speaking.
Throughout the cadet training year, 13 cadets worked to prepare their own speeches and speak in front of a panel of judges, as well as, their parents, and fellow cadets.
The cadets were given many choices of speech topics, including:
• What is a Canadian?
• 3D Printer Technology – How will it impact our future?
• Should the voting age be lowered to 16?
• How is today’s technology causing gaps in communications?
• How will legalizing cannabis affect our society?
• Why should cadets be involved in fundraising for the program?
• The positive and negative effects of advances in technology.
• What happened to the Avro Arrow and is it time for a new one?
• Peer pressure amongst today’s youth – fact or fiction?
• What is the importance of gender equality in today’s youth?
• How could the cadet program fill the gap in the aviation industry?
In addition to the prepared speeches, the cadets were given a topic which they then had to create a three-minute impromptu speech.
This tested their ability to create speeches quickly, and perform them with little preparation.
First place was awarded to Flight Corporal Maxine Desharnais while second place went to Flight Corporal Myron Wiebe.
Desharnais will represent the squadron at a regional level in Wing Competition on March 9.