In mid-July, youth from across Alberta will compete in a virtual public speaking competition called Alberta Young Speakers for Agriculture (AYSA). The annual competition will be hosted via Zoom.
This year, speakers aged 11 to 24 from around Alberta are invited to compete in an exciting and dynamic virtual competition, and Alberta Young Speakers for Agriculture (AYSA) will host students and youth from around Alberta who will express their enthusiasm and passion for agriculture in front of a live and virtual audience. They're trying to capitalize on the success of last year's virtual event.
According to Eric Dalke, the Chair of AYSA, the program has served as a launching pad for participants' careers in agriculture over the years. Some participants returned to their family farm and worked there, while others went into agricultural communications, agricultural business, and worked for major agricultural farm firms in Alberta and across Western Canada.
The 5 topics for this year’s event include:
- How a global pandemic changed Canadian agriculture – or has it?
- What it means to be a woman in agriculture in 2021
- Food waste, food security, and food policy: What is agriculture’s/aquaculture’s role?
- Canadian aquaculture: Opportunities in a growing industry
- Does a changing climate mean opportunities or headaches for Canadian agriculture?