More success for Trevelyan School on Friday night as they not only hosted a mighty fine event but their Intermediate team also won through to the District Finals in Reading on 27th February.

Ten teams from Wycombe, Ascot, Sunningdale and Windsor took Youth Speaks to the next level. All teams did themselves proud and brought their “A” game.  In the Intermediate section, “Money can buy happiness” was convincingly debated by Fiona Winters and Anushka Sagar, ably chaired by George Burden. Matilda Kemp & Ruth Mendy joined them for the photo to celebrate the team win with Windsor & Eton Rotary Club’s President Ralph Cooper whose daughter happens to be Head Teacher at Trevelyan, so he was beyond proud.
 
Wycombe Abbey won the senior competition with their debate “Can I Change the World?”. Chair Alyssa Conradie, Proposer Felicite Baroudel, Opposer Chloe Davis offered very convincing arguments from both sides just taking the top spot from Windsor Girls.
 
Youth Speaks is the most rewarding competition for not just the competitors ;)  We would like to congratulate all teams who took part, as follows:
 
Intermediate Teams

• Trevelyan School A "Money can buy happiness". Chair George Burden, Proposer Fiona Winters, Opposer Anushka Sagar                    
• Trevelyan School B "Home schooling is better than a traditional education". Chair Edward Shekiluwa, Proposer Matilda Kemp, Opposer Ruth Mendy
• Licensed Victuallers School "This house believes that Extinction Rebellion is a necessity in today's world". Chair Max Kelly, Proposer Harrison Thomas Opposer Angelina Yu
• Charters School "This house believes that freedom of speech should be abolished". Chair Ollie Millington, Proposer Fin Harris, Opposer Daniel Fussey
• Wycombe Abbey "Should torture be used in interrogation?". Chair Frida Douek, Proposer Neda Aryan, Opposer Layomi Odusanya

 
Intermediate judges Joanna Olamer-Scott, Clem Virgo, Dr John Eckhart (chair).
 
Senior Teams 

•  Windsor Girls School A "Mobile phones have a positive impact on today's society". Chair Olatz Bulson-Roman, Proposer Scarlett O'Shaughnessy, Opposer Lydia Sampson                      
• Windsor Girls School B "Abortion does not deserve to be morally condemned". Chair Polina Vekchina, Proposer Ariela Veizaj, Opposer Rachel East
• Charters School "This house believes that technology will save the world". Chair Isla Gilmour, Proposer Rose Tocher, Opposer Tia Dalton Short
• The Marist School "Are zoos an ethical place for animals?". Chair Helena Hughes, Proposer Maira Rizvi, Opposer Evie Gazet
• Wycombe Abbey "Can I change the world?". Chair Alyssa Conradie, Proposer Felicite Baroudel, Opposer Chloe Davis

 
Senior judges Veronica Stabbins, Brian Lee and Roger Clark (chair).
 
Thank you.
Jon Davey, Youth Chair, Windsor & Eton Rotary

What a jam-packed and fun club meeting we had yesterday, not only did we hear from Zoe Ovens about the amazing work that Berkshire-based charity Daisy's Dream does but we also had visitors from Maidenhead Bridge Rotary and Howdens Rotary Club; as well as investing our new Vice President Adrian Benge!

About Daisy's Dream
 
Established in 1996, Daisy’s Dream is a professional support service which responds to the needs of children and families affected by life threatening illness or bereavement. They work predominantly in Berkshire and the surrounding areas, with a pilot project running in East Cheshire.  Originally set up to meet the needs of children who had been bereaved, over recent years they have expanded our service to encompass families where there has been a serious illness diagnosis.
 
Zoe explained that they offer a flexible service which is tailored to meet the individual needs of each child and their family. This may include:

• Telephone support and advice for parents/carers/professionals
• Group events
• Home and school visits for the child or young person
• Training for associated professionals
• One-to-one counselling

 
The death or serious illness of someone close can have a devastating effect on a child or young person. With the right support and information however, children and young people can be helped to understand what has happened and learn to move forward in a positive way.  Research shows that, without the opportunity to express and explore their grief, bereaved children and young people may be at risk of future health, social and educational difficulties and disadvantages. This is in addition to the impact of the bereavement on their emotional health and well-being.
 
Zoe explained that every 22 minutes a child looses a parent in the UK and that services are so stretched children affected aren’t getting the support they need, hence why Daisy’s Dream is filling that gap.  The charity supported a total of 702 children last year, with 90% of those cases being referred to the charity via schools.  It costs £400,000 to run the charity each year and this money is all raised through groups, corporate sponsorship and grant applications, they do not receive any government funding.
 
Therefore they are looking for help in the following ways

• Ideas for new fundraising events
• New volunteers to help run fundraising events and talk to potential funders
• Help to raise their profile to reach more children and families affected by grief

 
Finally Zoe explained why the charity is called Daisy’s Dream… everyone believes this is the name of the Founders daughter, when in fact the daughter was asked what to call the charity and she decided to name it after the family pet.. Daisy the Labrador!  Now when you see their mascot out and about you’ll know why its Daisy the Dog!
 
Find out more about the charity here: www.daisysdream.org.uk