After two whole days of fiery presentations, the students of College of Business Administration, Prince Sultan University, Riyadh, KSA were successful in walking away with the Rolling Trophy of the 10th Inter College Public Speaking Competition. With an equal number of the government and private institutions debating in the contest, the contest saw a first time high participation of 27% from the GCC colleges and universities. Once again the contest had two-third female speakers and to top it we had only female speakers dominating the entire topic Global Challenges - Local Actions.
Dubai: According to John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States of America, "Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future." This was an underlying theme of the recently concluded Inter College Environmental Public Speaking Competition, organized by the Emirates Environmental Group, under the august patronage of H.H. Sheikh Nahayan Bin Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chancellor of the U.A.E. University and Higher Colleges of Technology. The event saw more than 60 private and government educational institutions from all 6 GCC countries rally it out to win the prestigious competition.
Held on the 29th and 30th of November at Knowledge Village, this innovative competition invited students on board to present strong and pertinent cases related to the environmental issues faced by the world today. The green warriors of the GCC debated and discussed the four topics of 'Are We Generating a Lot of Waste', 'Intelligent Use of Water', Environmental Role the Media Can Play' and 'Global Challenge - Local Actions'. With impressive power point presentations, beautifully designed posters and of course, strong oratory skills, students battled against each other in a friendly competition. In the end, however, the winners were:
Intelligent Use Of Water: Conservation Or Management?
Winner: College of Business Administration, University of Bahrain
1st Runner Up: College of Computer and Information Systems, Prince Sultan University, KSA
2nd Runner Up: American University in Kuwait
2. Are We Generating a Lot of Waste?
Winner: BITS, Pilani - Dubai
1st Runner Up: College of Science, University of Bahrain and Dept. of Engineering, Qatar University
2nd Runner Up: Department of Engineering, Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi
3. Global Challenge - Local Actions
Winner: College of Engineering and Computer Science, Abu Dhabi University, Al Ain
1st Runner Up: Al Yamamah University, Girls Campus, KSA
2nd Runner Up: Department of Engineering, University of Bahrain and European International College, Abu Dhabi
4. Environmental Role the Media can Play
Winner: College of Business Administration, Prince Sultan University, KSA
1st Runner Up: University of Wollongong, Dubai
2nd Runner Up: Manipal University, Dubai
The Overall Winners of the 10th Inter College Public Speaking Competition were:
Winner: College of Business Administration, Prince Sultan University, KSA
1st Runner Up: University of Wollongong, Dubai
2nd Runner Up: College of Engineering and Computer Science, Abu Dhabi University, Al Ain
Thus, the beautiful EEG rolling trophy, which was flown in from the University of Bahrain, was handed over to Prince Sultan University, KSA.
The ICPSC 2010 provided students with a unique opportunity to use this platform as an effective networking forum, where they met students and teachers from private and government educational institutions from all over the GCC region.
Since 2006, EEG has expanded its reach to the GCC by inviting participants from Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia. This year, there were a total number of 60 participants from all GCC countries.
According to students who participated in the event, this platform provided them with impeccable researching skills as they have been working hard for few weeks trying to make their presentations better and more innovative than other participants. Building their presentations has expanded their knowledge base immensely as well as honed their team work skills as they worked in tight-knit groups of five, representing their respective schools.
Everywhere, EEG as well as the judges were amazed by the performance of these young adults from universities across the GCC and 2010 was no exception! Students who came on stage were filled with a sense of grit and determination as they advocated their points. The presentations they used were well conceptualized with a focus on facts rather than mere talk.
As is the case every year, a distinguished panel of experts, consisting of Dr. Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Nuaimi, Chairman, Al Ihsan Charity, Ajman; Mr. Farid Mohamed Ahmed, Sec. General of DP World and Honorary Member of EEG, Dr. Mohamed A. Raouf, Program Manager of Environmental Research, Gulf Research Centre; Ms. Meera Taryam, Environmental Officer, Bee'ah, Sharjah; and Mr. Abdul Ameer Al-Mulla, president of the GPIC Toastmasters Club and deputy chairman of the Environmental Committee of GPIC, was invited to evaluate the performances of the participants.
The first day of the ICPSC was opened by a welcome note from DIAC, followed by an opening address by Mrs. Habiba Al Marashi, EEG Chairperson, where she said that "these students have time and again proved to us that our future is in capable and strong hands. With their strong and dynamic views on environmental issues at this age, I will not be surprised if they go on to excel in the field of environmental preservation later on in life." She went on to outline the overall objectives of the competition as well as citing how important public speaking is for a well-rounded education. She also thanked the sponsors of the event, Al Safi Club for Friends of the Environment, McDonald's UAE, Dubai Knowledge Village and Tamani Hotel for their never-ending support to the initiatives of the EEG.
Dr Ayoub Kazim, Executive Director of Dubai Knowledge Village and Dubai International Academic City, members of TECOM Investments, said: "As the region's leading knowledge clusters, we regard it our ethical responsibility to educate and inform the community about the benefits of cleaner and greener initiatives to preserve the environment. It is also our firm belief that encouraging wider participation and discussion amongst the youth can significantly promote environment-friendly practices. In this regard the youth debate on green challenges organized by the Emirates Environment Group is a step in the right direction and we are delighted to contribute to its objectives through engaging our student community."
Supporting schools were recognized and all the teams and participants of the ICPSC were honored with Certificates of Appreciation from EEG. All the sponsoring and supporting organizations were presented specially engraved crystals as a token of appreciation for their contribution. Crystal trophies were also awarded to the winners of each topic and framed certificates to the runners up.
-Ends-
The Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) is a professional working group devoted to protecting the environment through means of education, action programs and community involvement. EEG is actively encouraged and supported by concerned local and federal government agencies. It is the first environmental NGO in the world to be ISO 14001 certified and the only organization of its kind in the UAE with accredited status to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)'s Governing Council, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). EEG successfully formed the United Nations Global Compact Local Network for the GCC States. EEG is open to men and women of all nationalities, as well as to public and private organizations, academic establishments and international institutions.
For more information contact EEG:
Tel: 04-3448622,
Fax: 04-3448677,
eeg@emirates.net.ae, www.eeg-uae.org
© Press Release 2010
