GEM Talks 2024: How an English Speech Contest is Emboldening Young Women

On July 28 at the Tokyo Women's Plaza, GEM Talks 2024 brought ten young women together to compete in the final of an English language speech contest. It was an inspirational confidence-building exercise.  

Battling it out in seven-minute speeches, the high-school students from all over Japan passionately talked about their dreams. In front of a panel of judges, they showcased their public speaking ability in a foreign language, and were scored on their passion, logical thinking, and ability to answer questions convincingly. 

Amidst the fierce competition, Saki Takahashi, who is sixteen years old, won the top prize. Yuuki Hasegawa, at fifteen years old, was the runner-up. 

The energy radiating from the students was infectious as they reacted to winning the award. "I am pretty happy," said a beaming Hasegawa in modest understatement.  

'Great Emerging Minds'

It was a tough competition to impress the judges. They included VOGUE JAPAN's head of editorial content Tiffany Godoy, and Founder and President of the Asian Women and Children (AWC) Network Mari Christine. Joining the panel was Alex Iida, who heads Studio A.IIDA and has worked with the likes of Tadao Ando. There were also Akiko Yamamoto, President of Van Cleef & Arpels Japan, Richemont Japan, and Miss World China 2018 Perry Mao. 

The chief judge was Ichiro Fujisaki, chair of the America-Japan Society and former Ambassador of Japan to the United States. He has been a key supporter of the project from its inception. 

In his closing remarks, Fujisaki encouraged the finalists to keep fighting for their dreams. Referring to the event's name GEMs — which stands for Girls' Energy Manifests, he said: "Listening to you, I thought we should change it to 'Great Emerging Minds.'" He left them with a final word of encouragement to "Keep up your great work!" 

Overcoming Challenges

Public speaking is a skill that can be intimidating for adults, and even more so for high schoolers. 

2024 GEM Talks winner Takahashi explained that the most difficult part was feeling intimidated by the competition at the start. "Hearing all the other girls talk was terrifying because they were so energetic and bright. I felt so insecure compared to them." 

Consequently, Takahashi stated that the experience taught her the importance of persevering. "I think it's all about practice. Practice a lot on your own, practice on the train, even if people think you might look strange (laughs). That will make you confident, and you will do a good job." 

Hasegawa, meanwhile, commented that it was tricky to boil down her aspirations in a speech. "Figuring out what was important to me took a while." 

Ultimately, she had some helpful advice for anyone attempting public speaking. "It's not as scary as you are picturing in your head. We build up this idea that stage experiences are this scary thing, but in reality, people are there to listen to you." 

Looking Ahead

These students are already poised to be leaders in their fields of choice. Takahashi said she plans to build on her GEM Talks experience by entering the Model United Nations (MUN) competition. The mock student version of the United Nations would help improve her international communication skills, she believes. She cited a competition at the United Nations University, where she has been a past participant. 

"My biggest goal now is to get the top prize there. If you get the top prize there you can go to New York and participate in the MUN conference," she said. "That is what I want to achieve," concluded Takahashi confidently. 

Hasegawa, for her part, said she felt she'd learned an important lesson through the competition. "I wasn't planning to get awards or anything. I was just curious to know what it was like. So I learned that trying things out just for the sake of it is important." 

A Growing Initiative

GEM Talks is gaining support, as the addition of sponsors like Ralph Lauren and Seiko helped make the 2024 edition a success. The event is also supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. 

Founder and executive producer Kanako Date started the contest in 2022. She had the idea of teaching young women the power of marketing themselves. She recalled her own experience of participating in Miss World in 2018. 

"When I was at Miss World, I realized that when there are so many talented, beautiful women, the 'X' factor becomes the power to communicate and market yourself," said Date in an interview with JAPAN Forward in 2023. 

What other things does the event have in store for us? For those wanting to find out, the next edition's final is scheduled for July 20, 2025. 

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Author: Arielle Busetto