Throughout this term Charlie Roberts of Year 10 has competed in the NSW Plain English Speaking Award, in which she has moved from a local, area, zone and to regional finals in the competition.
Charlie spoke on the topic of 'Life in Colour' and explored the impact of depression on society and called her audience to take action against the disease.
She carried her message proudly, using a confident command of oration and audience engagement to draw people into her rhetoric.
An extract from her speech is available below.
Congratulations Charlie for your efforts in this competition.
"The other factor is abuse. Abuse is a broad term that can involve physical or emotional distress to a person. One form of abuse is bullying. Shocking right? Abuse is often seen as this awful thing that only happens in the media, we never think of it happening to us until it does. Turns out that bullying, which is something that affects so many people is this big bad unthinkable thing. What sickens me is that the main cause of depression, this monochromatic inducing illness, is caused by people. Because people cannot possibly be kind to one another otherwise their own self-esteem might be affected. Every single person deserves the right to experience this colour filled world in its full glory. No one deserves to live in a world where they are in constant fear of being injured, skin deep or with words like knives to the soul. No one deserves to have their colour taken away from them. Things like the internet were made to connect people, to spread vibrancy across the world. It was not made to be a tool in which people bash each other with words and make peoples lives that little bit duller.
So how do we fix this? How do you beat a disease that is different from every patient and is caused by a corrupt society? How do we bring life back to those who are simply fading away? Well, the first thing would be to be kinder. Help that person on the street that dropped something, smile more freely, volunteer for an organisation once in a while. Perform those small, ordinary acts of bravery that will bring back yellows and reds and greens and purples. Remind those who are suffering that they are not alone and that there is still colour out there. The next would be to help bring awareness and funding to the disease. Bring awareness to the fact that people’s views are being washed of colour and vibrancy because of human actions. Help organisations such as beyond blue educate people so that they can know what to do if they ever experience a mental illness. This awareness will allow more funding and time to go into new medicines which could be the difference between someone living life in colour and feeling like they shouldn’t be living at all. The final thing is to reach out. Whether you are feeling grey or think that someone else is, reach out. Talk to someone about it whether that be a friend, family member or counsellor. Don’t suffer from being colourblind when something as simple as talking to someone can bring life to be a few shades brighter. "
