2023-06-25 14:02:09
Multilingual speech talents were awarded at the ORF speech competition
Vienna (OTS) – Today, Sunday, June 25, 2023, 30 schoolchildren from all over Austria were awarded trophies and certificates at the closing ceremony of the multilingual speech competition in the large ballroom of Vienna City Hall. In the 14th round of the competition, in which the ORF acted as sponsor for the third time, young people from the seventh grade onwards related their bilingual speeches – at SAG’S MULTI! has to switch between German and a foreign language several times – position on the topic “I want to be strong for this”. The ORF offers the multilingual talents a large stage for this and showed the event in live stream in the ORF-TVthek, where almost 30 hours of the events from the final round can still be accessed. On June 27th at 7:35 p.m., ORF III will show a summary of today’s graduation ceremony in a “Culture Today Special”.
The patronage of honor took over in this round – and thus for the third time – Federal President Dr. Alexander Van der Bellen, who spoke via video message in the Vienna City Hall:
“Multilingualism opens up access to a variety of cultures, perspectives and opportunities. Language is part of our personal identity and an important bridge between peoples and cultures. Linguistic diversity is something beautiful and valuable. Be proud of your vocabulary and never let this value be taken away from you, neither in the schoolyard nor anywhere else.”
ORF General Director Mag. Roland Weißmann: “SAG’S MULTI! is not only a multilingual speech competition that promotes linguistic diversity in Austria, but also a source of inspiration for topics that move society. Integration, diversity and climate protection are important concerns for the ORF, with SAG’S MULTI! we offer young people, for whom these topics are also of great importance, a multimedia stage. Many people took advantage of this this year: I congratulate all participants on their great achievements at SAG’S MULTI!”
Final rounds in front of an audience, a total of 89 different languages in the competition
In the run-up to the competition, 406 participants had been nominated by their schools. 172 made it through a videotaped speech in the preliminary round and another speech in the main round to qualify for a final speech live in front of an audience. In addition to language jurors, there were also prominent supporters on the jury, including Elif Duygu (poetry slam champion, Austria), Omar Khir Alanam (author and “Dancing Star” participant), Ali Dönmez (language expert), Claudia Kropf (European Commission), Hannes Schweiger (University of Vienna) and Daniel Landau (education expert).
A total of 89 languages have been spoken in the competition so far. The students addressed topics such as identity, mental health, bullying, climate justice, Europe, flight, racism, democracy and human, women’s and children’s rights around the main impulse “I want to be strong for this”. Again, a particularly large number of girls were represented in the competition: 80 percent of the participants were female.
A broad alliance of cooperation partners makes it possible to implement the speech competition
The Federal Chancellery, the HS Timber Group, the City of Vienna, the Vienna Chamber of Labour, the Austrian Economic Chamber, the Federation of Austrian Industry, Raiffeisen and the Austrian Association of Cities are all contributing to the implementation of the speech competition as cooperation partners.
MMag. dr Susanne Raab, Federal Minister for Integration: “Again, numerous young people with language talent proved that they have an excellent command of other languages in addition to German. Integration thrives on participation in society, communication is a basic requirement for this. Each additional language opens new doors in Austria. The multilingual speech competition SAG’S MULTI! has shown once more this year that socio-politically current and relevant topics are very popular with young people. I am therefore pleased to support this multilingual competition once more this year. I congratulate all award winners and thank all participants for their commitment to a good coexistence in Austria.”
dr Michael Ludwig, Mayor of the City of Vienna: “Languages are the key to the world. They create opportunities in your studies, in the world of work or in your private life. That is why the City of Vienna has been committed to living multilingualism for many years. Especially the initiative SAG’S MULTI! shows that today’s youth bring with them the necessary tools that will be needed in the future:
Language diversity, curiosity, openness and the willingness to adapt to new situations and to work in a solution-oriented manner! Congratulations to all participants of SAG’S MULTI! I would like to warmly welcome you to your impressive speeches and wish you the best of luck and success for the future!”
Christoph Wiederkehr, Deputy Mayor and City Councilor for Youth and Integration: “The participation of many young people in this public, multilingual speech competition is a remarkable achievement. The ability to speak multiple languages is a valuable asset and I am delighted that multilingualism is taking center stage in this speech contest. As a youth councilor, it is also particularly important to me that young people have a platform to present their concerns and ideas and to actively participate in the public debate. They are the future and represent the voice of their generation. Congratulations to all award winners and the organization team of SAG’S MULTI!“
Michael Proschek-Hauptmann, Sustainability Manager of the HS Timber Group: “We are impressed by the quality of the speeches, which showed us how important the topic of sustainability is for young people. The use of wood is one of the central solution strategies in the fight once morest climate change. As a wood processing company, it is important to us not only to act sustainably, but also to support sustainable initiatives and make these voices heard. SAY IT MULTI! combines two very important principles for us: the empowerment of young people and the promotion of intercultural communication. For us as an international company, this is of central importance. These qualities are essential in order to be able to communicate at eye level in the regions in which we operate. As the HS Timber Group, we are proud to be cooperation partners of the ORF speech competition SAG’S MULTI! for the next three years. to be.”
Renate Anderl, President of the Chamber of Labor: “The concerns of young people are important to the AK. We listen to them – in their languages, whether it’s German, English, Hindi, Arabic or youth language. We don’t just listen, young people can and should have a say with us: in our center for working students, in the planning of our youth center – or when it comes to the AK elections in spring 2024. With us, all AK members can vote, no matter what language they speak or what passport they have. For us, diversity is enrichment.”
Carmen Goby, Vice President of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce: “I am deeply impressed and moved by how competent and self-confident the young generation at SAG’S MULTI! appears and asks critical questions. Thank you very much and congratulations to all participants. It takes a lot of courage to present your opinion in front of an audience – and even in several languages. Languages build bridges and enable solutions at eye level. Multilingualism is not only important for our 60,000 export companies in Austria, but for all companies in which different cultures, nationalities and languages meet.”
Christoph Neumayer, General Secretary of the Federation of Industry:
“I congratulate the young people on the strong statement for diversity that they made with their contributions to the speech competition. With the speech competition, a successful contribution to the appreciation of multilingual young people in Austria has been made for years. SAY IT MULTI! shows: Austria is full of talent! With our support, we want to say to the young people: It’s great that you are an important part of Austrian society, especially because of your special language skills!”
Michael Höllerer, CEO of Raiffeisen NÖ-Wien: “Raiffeisen NÖ-Wien supports the ORF speech competition SAG’S MULTI! of conviction. We are more than a bank and assume social responsibility. The different languages stand for the diversity of the people who make our lives more colorful and exciting. Not only does the economy benefit from this, all areas of society benefit: if we listen to each other, exchange ideas and combine different views, thoughts and ideas, we come up with completely new answers and solutions to pressing questions in a rapidly changing world.”
SAY IT MULTI! was founded in 2009 by Peter Wesely, at that time as General Secretary of the Economics for Integration Association. The ORF has been the organizer of the speech competition since 2020. As in previous years, the association EDUCULT – thinking and acting in culture and education – provides organizational and logistical support.
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