KUCHING: A total of 180 students from over 20 schools from here, Sematan and Lundu participated in the11th Youth Communication Camp (YCC) hosted by Kuching Toastmasters Club at Kem Putra Sentosa, Sematan from June 3 to 5 this year.
The 11th YCC was under the purview of the president of the Kuching Toastmasters Club, Chester Bong and its organising chairman Sahil Singh Dev.
Bong said the camping session was assisted by more than 60 volunteers as facilitators, primarily members of Toastmasters Club from Kuching, Kuala Lumpur and overseas, including Australia, Myanmar, Singapore, Indonesia, Canada, India, and the United Kingdom.
The goal of the camp is to improve public speaking, team bonding and leadership development, and talent showcasing to 200 students from all across Sarawak.
“Whilst learning about public speaking, they are able to socialise and interact with participants of different races and learn about their cultures.
“This effort hopes to produce a generation of open-minded youths that overlook the boundary of race,” said Bong.
The first day of the Camp focused on public speaking, as the participants had seven sessions to practice their prepared and impromptu speeches.
The second day was on obstacle course which required participants to work together to reach the finish line, and participants were able to showcase their talents during the Oscar Night.
On the last day, a total of 20 outstanding campers joined the speech contest called “Lend Me Your Ears”. Ten campers participated in the prepared speech contest while the other 10 in impromptu speech.
Laura Lim Ler Shuen from SMK Green Road emerged as the champion of the prepared speech contest while Jap Kai Huai from Lodge International School won first place in the impromptu speech contest.
“This year’s camp witnessed various creative items produced by the participants such as acting, group dancing and singing that left the judges astonished and incredibly impressed.
“We are looking forward to changing the lives of more students. The 12th YCC is expected to be held from July 20 to 22 next year with open arms welcoming students from all across Sarawak,” added Bong.
The camp was sponsored by its patron Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah and corporate sponsors from Mitsubishi Corporation, Sarawak Energy Berhad, Nova Fusion Sdn Bhd, Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), and Bintulu Development Authority (BDA).
