Gabriella Arjun of Queen’s College is this year’s “Top National Youth Environmental Speaker” after winning Recover Guyana’s second edition SHOUT Competition. The four-phased competition, which was open to secondary schools across Guyana, aimed at getting youths more involved in environmental protection and preservation. It concluded on Wednesday, June 05, 2024, at the Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel.
Arjun received a trophy, a laptop, $100,000 and other prizes, while Queen’s College received free GTT fibre internet for one year and $500,000 to work on the proposed environmental project to address pollution in the school’s environment.
In accepting her award, she thanked those who supported her journey noting that she has learnt a lot along the way. “Even though we are the cause [of environmental degradation], we can be the solution,” she reminded.
Coming in second place was Samarah Nazamoodeen of President’s College who received a trophy, $50,000 and other prizes. This year’s third-place candidate is Tremain Clarke of Marian Academy who received a trophy, $25,000, a healthcare voucher, a tablet, and other prizes.
“Engaging our youth in environmental protection is crucial for a sustainable future. Through initiatives like SHOUT Competition, we are empowering the next generation to think creatively and act boldly to safeguard our planet. The passion and innovation demonstrated by these young minds give me immense hope for the future of environmental advocacy in Guyana,” founder and president of Recover, Dr. Dave Lalltoo said in a press release.
The first phase of the competition involved the submission of one-minute videos from Grades nine and ten students from Secondary Schools across Guyana detailing the sustainable changes they would make to their school’s environment if given one million dollars. A total of seventy-eight (78) submissions were received from which thirty (30) students were shortlisted after a rigorous scoring process.
Phase Two of the competition –delivering a prepared environmental speech, and Phase Three – a challenging yet engaging impromptu speech competition, were completed on Wednesday morning. The students delivered inspirational and impactful speeches on topics including pollution, deforestation, rising sea levels and other effects of climate change, renewable energy, and more.
Following Phase Two and Three of the competition, the top three students were selected by a panellist of ten judges, to compete in Phase Four, the decisive round where they were asked to answer one question: Can you describe a specific environmental problem within your school, explain what innovative solution you will propose and discuss the potential impact of your solution – to determine the national winner