On Sunday, August 30, Miss Tsuzuki, a Grade 8 student at Linden Hall High School, participated in the 2026 Fukuoka Prefectural Youth Speech Contest, organized by the Fukuoka Prefectural Citizens' Council for Youth Development and other organizations. The contest was held at the Plam Calcorea Dazaifu Civic Hall.

The contest provides junior high school students with an opportunity to share their thoughts and insights gained from their daily lives, their views on social issues, and their hopes and aspirations for the future. This year, more than 4,000 entries were submitted from across Fukuoka Prefecture, with 15 junior high school students selected to give their speeches at the final event.

Last summer, Miss Tsuzuki drew on her experience meeting a young girl in Africa and reflecting on the educational inequalities she encountered. In her speech, titled “Her Dream,” she shared her thoughts on the disparities in access to education and received an Excellence Award for her presentation.

After the contest, Tsuzuki reflected on the experience:

“I thought carefully about how I could share my personal experience in a way that would allow the audience to picture the scenes in their minds. I realized that when you want your message to reach many people, it is important not only to think about what you want to say, but also how you communicate it. I also learned a lot from listening to the speeches of the other students, and it was a very valuable experience. If I have another opportunity like this, I would definitely like to challenge myself again.”

We hope that the insights Tsuzuki gained through this experience will help her further develop her ability to express her ideas and communicate them effectively to others.

Congratulations to Miss Tsuzuki, and our sincere thanks to all the junior high school students who participated in the contest and shared their inspiring experiences and ideas.