UNESHCO (UNY English Competition) is a national English competition for university students held annually by UKM Bahasa Asing “SAFEL” (Student Activity Forum of Foreign Languages), Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY). This competition is one of the agendas in commemorating Dies Natalis UNY which consists of Speech and Micro-teaching competition. This year, The ninth competition was held on Saturday, May 19th, 2024 in UNY. UNESHCO brings the theme “Unleash Your Voice and Empower Your Vision to Create Your Future.” Through this theme, we hope that the participants will have the confidence to develop creativity and do the action they intend or need to do to achieve their goals. Furthermore, we expect UNESHCO to be the best platform to deliver their amazing talent, especially in public speaking.
In the UNESHCO #9 Speech Competition, participants go through three rounds: the Preliminary, Semifinal, and Final. The Preliminary Round involves delivering an original informative speech video on one of three gender equality topics, with specific technical and submission guidelines, and no reading from notes allowed. The semifinalist, selected from the top 10 participants, delivered an extemporaneous argumentative speech based on an article and three related questions provided by the judges. Each participant has 30 minutes to prepare and 3-5 minutes to speak, with strict rules against external research and a small note allowed for reference. The finals feature an impromptu persuasive speech, where the top 6 finalists watch a video, prepare for 30 minutes, and then speak for 3-5 minutes on a related topic, followed by a Q&A session with judges. Participants are closely monitored to ensure originality and compliance with the time limits, and winners are announced at the closing ceremony.
The UNESHCO Micro-teaching Competition aims to enhance the teaching skills of Indonesian university students using English as the medium of instruction. Participants must submit a lesson plan tailored for Junior or High school students by April 22nd, 2024, following the Curriculum of 2013 and meeting specific criteria. The Top 10 finalists, announced on May 12th, 2024, will deliver their lesson plans in a 30-minute performance, with strict adherence to competition rules and assessment criteria. The registration and lesson plan submissions are free, but finalists must pay a fee. Also, the winners of micro-teaching will be announced at the closing ceremony.
The winner of the speech competition is Ayska Rahma Daffadila from Universitas Islam Indonesia, followed by 2nd winner Wida Putri Kinasih from Universitas Indonesia, and Amadhea Putri Rasikah Zaki from Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta as 3rd winner. The 1st runner-up is M. Iqbaal Al Hamid from Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, followed by 2nd runner-up is Pamela from Universitas Sebelas Maret also the 3rd runner up is Shabira Afina Pajri from Politeknik Penerbangan Indonesia Curug.
The winner of the Micro-teaching is Spartan from Universitas Sanata Dharma, the 2nd place is Johanes Arya Amandu from Universitas Sanata Dharma, then followed by Yusvia Pangesti Septya Kinanthi from Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta as the 3rd place. The 1st runner-up is Rokhwal ‘Iisy from Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, followed by the 2nd runner-up is Nur Ichsan from Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, then the 3rd runner-up is Nada Khairiyah Dhia Adiasa from Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta.
Before we end this article, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the participants who enthusiastically registered and contributed to the success of UNESHCO #9. We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to reunite with you all in UNESHCO #10.
-Laila and Shari
