World Speech Day Visits Santa Clarita

Posted by: KHTS Guest in Santa Clarita Latest News March 18, 2019 - 2:55 pm 0 568 Views

By Micaela Lockridge

On Friday, March 15, World Speech Day took place in Santa Clarita. It takes place every year on March 15, but this is the first time it has been initiated and conducted in the Santa Clarita Valley.

World Speech Day in Santa Clarita was orchestrated by Valencia High School Sophomore Cassidy Bensko.

“I have discovered the art of public speaking through debate and organized World Speech Day as an opportunity to share the good that public speaking has brought into my own life. It has given me the agency to fight for what I believe in as well as opened doors to so many opportunities,” said Bensko.

World Speech Day is an international nonprofit dedicated to organizing World Speech Day events in over 100 different countries annually on March 15.

“Since being founded in 2016, the intent of the event is to celebrate the power of free speech in both the historical and modern context by giving a platform to oratories everywhere,” Bensko continued.

Taking place at Global Prep Academy to a full house, speakers RSVP’d from around the city to present a five minute presentation on issues they felt needed to be voiced.

It is difficult to write about this event as a reporter without inserting a personal note as to the depth exhibited by the youth of Santa Clarita during this event.

Spanning grades six to 12, the event launched with Ethan Belgamino, an 11th grader at West Ranch High School, presenting a prepared oration on his personal experience growing up socially with autism.

“People can be incredibly cruel to people with autism, without even knowing it. At school, a few of my peers told me that I belonged in special ed.,” said Belgamino. “The root of this cruelty is ignorance. Autism doesn’t have to be cured, it just has to be accepted. I do not have an infectious disease, I just see the world differently. If people actually took the time to learn about autism and respect those who have it, instead of pointing fingers and laughing, the world would be a kinder place. I am no less a person than someone who lacks a disability, and I do not deserve to be seen as inferior. Even though I have my struggles, I still have the potential to excel.”

Belgamino goes on to list celebrated individuals such as Alfred Hitchcock, Bill Gates and Andy Warhol as examples of those who have succeeded professionally, all with an autism spectrum disorder.

Having freshman year with special education for support, Belgamino’s conviction to succeed further was evident.

“Like them, everyone can pursue their dreams no matter what hardships lie in the way,” he added. “The only thing that can ever really hold someone back, is negativity. At the end of the day, autism is only a six letter word.”

Eighth grader Monia Rahman spoke of anxiety and depression affecting our youth, bringing to light a 2013 statistic stating that the amount of boys with depression has increased 43 percent, and girls 65 percent, with only 30 percent receiving treatment.

Rahman focused on the effect social media has on girls’ self esteem, including her own, and the impact self image has on one’s mental health.

“There is a large amount of pressure we place on ourselves to be posting certain types of pictures for a certain amount of likes wearing a certain type of clothes,” she said.

Rahman states that likes and numbers are meaningless, do not define who you are, and that social media isn’t really the problem; it is how we use it which contributes much of today’s unhealthy thinking.

Jaeda Rajpibul, a seventh grader, emphasized the pressures students face due to standardized testing and the physical effects this can have on students.

“I believe standardized tests cannot and will not effectively measure students’ abilities. According to a study by Council of Great City Schools, students spend over 24 hours a year taking tests, have been proven to increase students’ stress levels, decrease curiosity, and decrease ambition,” said Rajpibul.

Sixth grader, Emily Do, addressed oil drilling and the marine life affected with the disruption of local ecosystems, while seventh grader Yevey Kim, passionately opposed animal testing by stating, “Over 100 million animals have died in labs across the world due to animal testing”, emphasizing the role greed can play in the beauty industry to succeed at any cost.

“In order to create a universal understanding of why animal testing is harmful, we must understand its impact on extinction, environment and possible alternatives to fix this issue. As someone who is still young, I fear for our future,” said Kim.

As each speaker approached the podium, one thing was evident, this was not just an opportunity for young people to speak in front of a crowd. Each and every student exhibited a wisdom and concern for the well being of our world well beyond the apathetic stereotype often plastered upon our youth of today.

Sabina Benjamin, a senior, discussed the connection between her grandmother’s Iranian craftwork and our government’s current focus on immigration legislation and the irony which lies within.

“The individual silk threads of the Persian rug laying in my room were intricately hand woven as to make it one of a kind,” said Benjamin referring to the rug her grandmother wove for her representing their culture via a skill passed through generations spanning over 2,500 years.

“Ten thousand villages produced rugs that now lay on the dining room floors of our highest governing officials, yet Persians have been reduced to anti-American nuke-carrying terrorists,” she added.

Benjamin continued to expressing her disappointment of how the beauty which permeates within her heritage has been overshadowed by the political assumption so prevalent today, Iran as an enemy to America, and the dehumanization of its citizens.

Also poignant was a seventh grade student, Kyle Do, who began by quoting media messages commanding men to, “Man up.”

“To me, these statements are not an accurate presentation of what a real man is. I believe men should be able to express their emotions freely and without fear of judgement,” said Do. “The cultural perception of men is that strength is everything, emotions are suppressed and sensitivity is considered a weakness. This is toxic masculinity. As children, we take these statements as fact. As we grow up with these ideas in our head, and then these things become the societal norm. As a young man, I want to become part of a changed generation where we don’t have to follow specific gender rules.”

Do continues with anecdotes of roles expected in school such as boys playing sports during recess instead of discussing their feelings with friends as girls so often do, and how these experiences bleed into adulthood.

“Our school environment creates the culture for tomorrow’s world. Stereotypes are wrong because our brains are hard-wired to make quick calls, which is ok, but immediate judgment can lead to a stereotypical bias,” he added. “This can lead to world of conflict and misunderstanding. A world without stereotypes is world where strength does not define the sole quality of a man, and a world I want to live in.”

This is just a sample of the topics and thoughtfulness displayed by our community’s youth on night dedicated to celebrating one of our country’s most cherished yet often challenged values, that of free speech.

The evening continued ranging from a sixth grade male sharing his story of living an openly gay life in a school atmosphere of acceptance and resistance, and the overwhelming sense that all in attendance witnessed something unique in today’s atmosphere of online pontification lacking the intrinsic value of not just speaking, but being heard.