Rotary Monmouth: Youth Speaks Competition 2026

The Rotary Youth Speaks competition is something to shout about! We have two secondary schools in the town so the debate starts with a local heat to decide which school will go through to the District Final.
The competition has two age groups, meaning that it allows pupils to compete from Year 7 up to Sixth Form level. Teams start their preparations in the Autumn term. Both the intermediary and the senior teams comprise a speaker for the motion, a speaker against the motion and a chairperson who introduces the speakers and sums up at the end of the debate.
Advance preparation is key to success but the performance on the night gives students an excellent idea of what it is to perform under pressure. Their speeches are timed and points are lost for incorrect timing. In addition (and probably the really scary bit), there are questions from the floor and the students have no idea what those questions will be!
Debate topics have varied widely over the years. In recent competitions, titles have included:

• The Environment is Priority Number One.
• 20 is Definitely Not Plenty (referring to the 20mph speed limits in Wales)
• Is AI Generated Art Destroying the Meaning of Art and the Talent of Artists?
• Should Shameful Statues be Taken Down Properly instead of Being Torn Down in Protest?
• If you strike me, I'll strike you back.
• Human beings are inherently wicked

Each year, at the District Final, the winning team from the local heat always perform well and, whether they win or not, they always come away with great enthusiasm for the following year’s competition, having had valuable experience in the art of debating and performing under pressure.

This year the Monmouth Comprehensive School’s intermediate debating team were runners-up in the District Youth Speaks competition. Annabel, Carys and Clarabel chose as the title for their debate ‘If you strike me, I’ll strike you back’.