On 19 June 2025, eleven students from grade 8 to grade 12 spoke at the first Brampton YES contest, at Louise Arbour Secondary. They represented Louise Arbour and Khalsa Community School. The purpose of the contest was to motivate young people to research issues of sustainability and speak confidently about them. This was achieved, and the YES contest was quite a success.
Brampton Biosphere Eco-City (BBEC) volunteers had worked many months to develop the contest. The team worked on logistics, promotion and support. A week before the event, the team held an online session for contestants, to help build their confidence and train them on public speaking, stage presentation and voice control. But the research and passion came from the students.
Speeches were judged on content (60%) and delivery (40%) using a well-developed grading rubric. The three judges were Jincy Joy, the first YES contest team member; Teena George, a science teacher at Khalsa Community School; and Derek Wiegand, retired from Halton Region’s Environmental Services.
First prize was provided by Charminar Indian Cuisine Brampton, second prize was provided by Siva Sakthi Indian Restaurant, Mississauga, and a third prize gift voucher was donated by Samitashree Vijayaraj.
All participants received a certificate recognizing their achievement. After the speeches were finished, family and friends in the audience took part in an environmental question-and-answer session that was a lot of fun.
Some special guests attended the YES contest. Mr. Jagtar Singh, Principal of Louise Arbour Secondary School welcomed everyone. Mr. James Birtch, founder of the Biosphere Eco-City program, served as Master of Ceremonies. Mr. Harpartap Singh Toor, Councillor, brought greetings from the City of Brampton. Mr. Roger Caesar, a speaking coach and member of the Toastmasters Club, provided encouraging remarks. Light refreshments added to the enjoyment of the day.
Behind the scenes, members of the Photography Club of Louise Arbour Secondary School captured many special moments of the contest. The final push came from BBEC team members Dhanalakshmi Sithar Nathan, Jincy Joy, Annum Nadeem, and their advisor James Birtch who spent three months on organization to make this “spontaneous event” happen.
Brampton BEC had developed previous projects to engage people in sustainability, as this website shows. But it considers the YES contest to be a flagship event. BBEC will explore mentorship programs, as well as future contests that include art, science and innovation.