Soapbox speeches are a school wide event in the AUHSD district. This came into place to help student identify an issue they care about and develop and deliver a persuasive speech on why others should care about that issue. By definition, it is an informal speech given by a speaker standing on a raised platform, or soapbox, to address a crowd.
Although it is a district wide program, it first came to Gilbert High School in 2019 and is now known as Gilbert Talks.
An alumni of Gilbert and one of the first students to participate in 2019 is Antony Attalla. His experience was he was really nervous but proud of himself when he finished. He had a lot of fun preparing and writing. His topic was using his voice. one thing that had stood to him was the confidence that he had gained even though at first he was really nervous. He had won and he felt very accomplished and didn’t think it was possible because he wanted to get over his social anxiety and it didn’t really matter if he had won or lost he just wanted the experience. He felt he was worthy of winning because his topic was very important for everyone.
I recommend participating because Soapbox speeches provide students the chance to use their voice and speak up!
This year’s Gilbert Talks will take place February 27th, 2025.
