The final of the 2nd edition of the Publiq national eloquence competition took place on Wednesday 27 April at the Brussels Parliament. Eight young people aged 18 to 26, four Dutch speakers and four French speakers, faced off in a final speech on the theme of the « Belgian pavilion at the next universal exhibition ». The same day, the finalists were divided into bilingual duos and only had a few hours to prepare their speech in pairs.
« It was really very stressful because we had each prepared our speech on our side but we didn’t know at all if it was going to agree with that of our partner. I was very afraid of having to redo all my text« , explains Valentine Barthélémy, a first-year Master’s student in law at ULiège.
As a national eloquence contest, the idea was that each participant expresses himself in his language but that the speech is well articulated between Dutch and French.« Even if I speak a little Dutch, I had trouble understanding all the nuances of my partner’s text. Fortunately, we were really helped and supported throughout the competition. In the end, it went very well.«
To decide between them, the organizers called on a jury made up of various personalities, including comedians Jérôme de Warzée and Dena, but also political scientist Kris Deschouwer and Françoise Tulkens, the former judge and vice-president of the European Court of human rights.
In the end, Valentine Barthélémy, from Liège, and Hélène Lambrechts from Antwerp won the competition in the duo category. « It is a consecration. It was the first competition I did so I’m super happy. I met wonderful people, including my buddy with whom I have a lot in common. I also learned a lot of things« , continues the 22-year-old student. Throughout the course, the young people were indeed coached by professionals. « These are valuable tips that will definitely help me later. Currently, I still hesitate between the notariat and the bar. But if I become a lawyer, for sure everything I learned will be very useful to me. »
Based on the duo performances, another jury made up of associations active in eloquence rewarded the best individual speech. Again, on the Flemish side, it was Hélène Lambrechts who took first prize. On the French-speaking side, it is Pol Fasy, a BAC3 student in law at the University of Saint-Louis. « I have always liked to defend my opinions and my values, but I never imagined myself winning this individual award »he explains. « It’s really a fantastic experience that has given me a lot more confidence in myself. »
A speech contest for young people
The Publiq eloquence competition was created in 2021 on the initiative of the Asbl Civix and Jeugd Parlement, which aim to bring together young people and politics. This is the only national eloquence contest reserved for Belgian residents between 18 and 26 years old.
« There was not yet a big national speech contest in Belgium, probably because our country is divided into several linguistic communities. But rather than seeing it as a problem, we saw it as an opportunity to motivate every young Belgian around a common goal, and to bring together young people from all over the country »can we read on their website.
If the first subject of the participants was free, all the others revolved around civic-mindedness and democratic values. Since it was the Brussels Parliament that hosted all the highlights of the competition, this also inspired the young citizens. « Personally, I was already immersed in it since I do law. But I know that other participants came from totally different backgrounds »emphasizes Valentine. « Before each of our speeches, we had to do so much research that it helped us form an opinion on the major social issues.. »
Pol does not say anything else : « It helped us to look at important subjects. And since all forms were authorized, it allowed us to do so without necessarily using all the codes of classic speeches. » « At the end of the day, everyone can participate and speak out, even those who have never done so in public before. »
Are you between 18 and 26 years old and would you like to participate in the next edition of the competition? Go here to be notified when applications open.
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