UNYA Voice
What is UN Youth Voice?
In UN Youth Voice, you choose an issue that matters to you, and tell us how you’d change the world.
UN Youth Voice is a single-event public speaking competition that sees participants propose solutions to pressing global issues. You need to lobby us to believe in what you propose to do and be able to justify it as a real, possible solution.
This competition will give you the opportunity to:
- Develop skills in public speaking and research in global issues.
- Hone your ability to think on your feet, assisting you in leadership positions or debating competition in the future.
- Build an increased knowledge about areas that are of interest to you.
- A chance to meet likeminded and engaged young people.
How does UN Youth Voice work?
The competition is split into two parts — the Pitch and Question Time.
- The Pitch: This is where participants outline a solution to a given world problem. Students may present new solutions to long-standing problems, or new solutions to largely untouched issues. In this section adjudicators will be judging based on participants’ ability to provide real solutions rather than just describing their chosen issue. The speaking times are 4 minutes in the Junior Division (Year 7 and 8) and 5 minutes in the Senior Division (Year 9 and 10).
- Question Time: Here participants answer two questions, lasting for approximately one minute each, on the solution they presented in The Pitch by the judging panel. The speaking times are 1 minute in the Junior Division (Year 7 and 8) and 2 minutes in the Senior Division (Year 9 and 10).
Your speech will link to one of the set topics, which will be released prior to the rounds themselves. You choose one of these questions to present a solution, based on the division you are competing in. Topics will be phrased as a question e.g. ‘How can we…?’