2022 BARCELONA
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
4Voices’ inaugural public speaking competition took place at Juno House in Barcelona on 30 April 2022 with the theme ‘Make a Difference’
Featuring 12 English-speaking teenagers from 4th ESO and 1st Bachillerato, the competition showcased a diversity of youth, keen to develop their communication skills, share innovative ideas and transform minds and hearts as a consequence.
They did not disappoint! From speeches about love and the secret to happiness to decade-long friendships and the importance of versatility, these incredibly talented youngsters delivered powerful and moving monologues to a captivated audience. The 12 finalists were chosen from dozens of entrants initially for their passion on a specific subject close to their heart. After a number of intense public speaking training sessions and one-to-one tutorials from our specialist panel of communicators, each finalist became competent in arguably one of the most important skills needed in the modern world.
Particular congratulations go to our winners:
FIRST
Nanthan Nan (Benjamin Franklin International School)
Comprehensive knowledge leads to diversity
SECOND
Ixent Gil Esteba (Saint George’s School)
Against invisibility, breaking boundaries
THIRD
Ot Caminals Aleu (Agora Sant Cugat International School)
Why speed cubing should be added in schools
Back Row: Cormac Walsh, Gabriella Opaz, Jane Mitchell, Carrie Frais, Catriona Groves
Front Row: Ixent Gil Esteba, Ot Caminals Aleu, Nanthan Nan
At 15 years old, Nanthan Nan moved from Beijing to Barcelona with hardly any knowledge of English or Spanish. Two years later he became the winner of the 4Voices public speaking competition with his speech Comprehensive knowledge leads to diversity. Here’s a snippet from his speech:
As part of his first prize, Nanthan chatted to 4Voices co-founder and broadcaster Carrie Frais about his unquenchable thirst for knowledge, the challenges he believes his generation faces and his everyday heroes, all told via The Soundtrack to My Life. Here’s a snippet:
View snippets from the other finalists’ speeches:
We could not have been prouder of our finalists who have worked so hard over the past few months. Learning through public speaking has meant that these youngsters were able to convey their arguments eloquently and concisely, persuade and connect with the audience. We hope that each and every one of them will move forward with an added confidence and cultural understanding of the world we live in.