The voice of Cowra's youth was heard loud and clear at the town’s Lions Youth of the Year competition on February 14.
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The competition is about recognising outstanding youths.
It is judged based on community and school involvement, general knowledge of local, national and global affairs and public speaking skill.
Not only were students interviewed by a panel of three but they had to make both an impromptu and a prepared speech to a group of more than 40 adults.
Cowra High provided all of the entrants for this year’s competition.
The school’s three Year 11 representatives were Andrew Barker, Jemma Pokoney and Olivia Perkins.
Jemma won both the speaking award and the Youth of The Year and now goes on to compete at district level at Grenfell.
Jemma, a Year 11 student at Cowra High School, is a school prefect and has just spent 12 months living in Japan as an exchange student.
A member for the Cowra Youth Council who enjoys helping the comunity, Jemma says she loves to have conversations with the youth of Cowra and likes to get involved in any way she can.
The school was also represented by four “apprentices” from Year 10 who attended with a view to taking part in next year’s competition.
They were Drew Willis, Sam Long, Xavier Gauci and Maisie Thompson who entertained the dinner crowd with engaging and prepared speeches which clearly delighted the Lions members and their guests.