Reported by Karen Li
Posted by Jenny Wang
Today we went to volunteer for the 2024 North Texas TI Cup North Texas Chinese Speech
contest. We all arrived a few hours early as we need to prepare for the speech contest. This
mainly included getting to know each other, learning who was in our room, and going over the
procedures one last time. One of the most important things we went over was the roles. As
volunteers there were a few roles we could take, Registration, Contest Master, Timer, Sergeant
At Arms, and Award Ceremony. So this time was also just finalizing what we had to do for each
role. In addition, it also included time for us to eat our lunch, giving us more time to socialize and
learn about our peers.
Then the registrations started and the contest masters went down stairs, holding up signs, to
help the contents get into their group. Although this was mainly the contest masters job
everyone helped, either helping the parents or by setting up the rooms. Then once it hit 1:00 pm
we all went inside the auditorium to listen to the brief regards before we split up per the groups
and led our contestants up stories into the competition rooms. Once all the kids got settled in
the room, the contest master introduced the volunteers and judges before calling up each
content to share their speeches. This went on for a while, with times differing from room to
room. After each room was done, they went back downstairs to the auditorium for the award
ceremony.
It started off with every participant getting a medal, followed by a few example speeches, words
of thanks from the contest host, recognizing some sponsors and some guest speakers. Then
finally we got to the ranked portion of the award ceremony. During this section we also helped
out with handing the trophies to the contents and award givers. This lasted for a while as there
were many groups of contestants each from different grades.
Overall, this was a great experience, as the event was mostly led by volunteers, providing us
with an excellent opportunity to practice teamwork, communication, organization, and leadership
skills. It was also really great to see so many children participating and showcasing their skills in
Chinese speech. Their enthusiasm and dedication were truly inspiring, and it was rewarding to
be part of an event that fosters cultural exchange and language learning.
Volunteers:
Karen Li: 6.5hours
Melody Zhang: 6.5hours
Brian Han: 2 hours
