On November 18th, 2017, the 7th annual All Japan High School, John Nissel Speech Contest was held at Sophia University. Twenty finalists gathered to deliver speeches on the topic of “Thinking Globally, Acting Locally.” Themes ranged from the refugee crisis, climate change, social justice, diversity, among many others. The finalists spoke passionately about their experiences, advocated for more awareness, more acceptance, more volunteering, and more understanding of the issues that impact our global and local communities.
This year’s speeches were particularly powerful and inspirational and the judges found it incredibly difficult to choose a winner from such a strong field of presenters. The winning speech by Kohki Shinohara, “Harmonious Society in Global Times,” explored the value of respecting differences and encouraged people to embrace their individuality and openly express their ideas.
The top 6 prize winners were:
First Prize:
Kohki Shinohara from Kanagawa Prefectural Kanagawa Sohgoh High Scool for his speech entitled “Harmonious Society in Global TImes.”
Second Prize:
Risa Kazuii from International Christian University High School for her speech entitled “The Monk’s Wise Words.”
Third Prize:
Hiroya Kawaguchi from Keio Senior High School for his speech entitled “My Small Contribution to the Refugees.”
Fourth Prize:
Kiyomi Beverly Boyd from Hyogo Prefectural Ashiya International Secondary School for her speech entitled “The Solution is Contribution.”
Fifth Prize:
Sarika Jessie Kid from MITA International Senior High School for her speech entitled “Building Bridges Through Theatre.”
Sixth Prize:
Yukai Nakashima from Shoei Girls’ Senio High School for her speech entitled “The Past Eight Years.”
We congratulate the winners and thank all of the contestants for their hard work and insightful speeches. Well done everyone!
(To read more about this event in Japanese, please follow this link to an additional article.)
