JACL National Convention Youth Program
2008 JACL Minoru Yasui Oratorical Competition
The Minoru Yasui Oratorical Competition is named in memory of Minoru Yasui, an attorney and civil rights activist. Prior to the internment, Min Yasui tested the constitutionality of the curfew orders that were imposed against Japanese Americans. Though the Supreme Court of the United States eventually upheld the constitutionality of the curfew, Min Yasui never wavered in his pursuit of social justice for all Americans, eventually retiring as the executive director of the Commission on Human Relations for the City and County of Denver. During the 1980s, Min Yasui chaired and served as an articulate voice for JACL’s successful campaign to obtain redress for the injustice of the World War II internment.
Competition Guidelines
Purpose:
To develop, encourage and reinforce verbal skills among the younger members of JACL.
Eligibility:
- All competitors must be members of the JACL at the time of the District Council and National competitions. (Membership must be in the participants name either as a student or individual—a parental or family membership does not qualify.)
- The competition is open to high school students, age 16 or older, or full-time undergraduate college students.
- Competitors must compete in-person at the district council where they hold their JACL membership.
- National contestants must be approved by their JACL District Council.
Rules:
- Speeches are limited to 3-5 minutes in length. All speeches must be composed by the contestants. Speeches should be committed to memory. An outline on index cards is permitted. The same speech may be used for both District and National competitions. Visual aids are not allowed.
- No more than 150 words may be a direct quotation from any speech or writing. Extensive paraphrasing of another source is prohibited.
Topic:
To be determined.
Judging:
A panel of individuals will rate the participant. It would be advantageous for some of the judges to have a background in debate or public speaking. In addition, some of the judges should have familiarity with the topic content. The JACL District Council will select the judges for the District Council competition. National JACL will select the judges for the final competition held at the JACL Convention. The speaking order should be decided 30 minutes before the competition.
- Delivery and Presentation: How well does the participant speak? Does the presentation flow evenly or are there unnatural pauses? Is the speech well memorized? Does the student make use of vocal qualities for presentation purposes such as changes in volume, tone and dramatic pauses.
- Answering the Question: Does the participant’s speech answer the question asked or does the student’s analysis go off on a topic unrelated to the question? Are all the possible areas of discussion dealt with or does the participant omit some of the obvious areas related to the question?
- Analysis and Logic: Does the participant use sound logic and analysis in presenting the reasoning behind the answer to the question? Is the speech organized in a coherent manner with the issues logically arranged?
Immediately following the competition, the judges will assemble and privately evaluate in order to rank all of the contestants. All decisions determined by the judges are final.
National Competition:
The winner of each JACL District Council competition will compete at the 2008 JACL Convention in Salt Lake City, UT on July 16-19, 2008. National JACL will cover roundtrip airfare to Salt Lake City, two nights lodging at the convention and attendance at the Sayonara Banquet.
JACL District Council Procedure for Selecting Finalist
Outreach
JACL District Councils should encourage each chapter in the district to send at least one competitor to the JACL District Council competition.
District Council Competition
District Councils should set aside time at their meeting to present the Oratorical Competition. At the competition, the speaking order for the competitors should be decided 30 minutes before the competition begins. It would be advantageous for some of the judges to have a background in debate or public speaking. Some judges should also have familiarity with the topic content.
Judges should evaluate on the following:
- Delivery and Presentation: How well does the participant speak? Does the presentation flow evenly or re there unnatural pauses? Is the speech well memorized? Does the student make use of vocal qualities for presentation purposes such as changes in volume, tone and dramatic pauses.
- Answering the Question: Does the participant’s speech answer the question asked or does the student’s analysis go off on a topic unrelated to the question? Are all the possible areas of discussion dealt with or does the participant omit some of the obvious areas related to the question?
- Analysis and Logic: Does the participant use sound logic and analysis in presenting the reasoning behind the answer to the question? Is the speech organized in a coherent manner with the issues logically arranged?
Deadline
To be determined.
The name, address, telephone number and email address of the District Council finalist should be sent to:
Bill Yoshino
JACL Midwest Office
5415 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60640
jaclmro@aol.com
Contestant Requirements for competing at the JACL National Convention
- The District Council finalist will be required to submit a biography and photograph.
- The District Council finalist will be required to complete a parental or guardian consent and waiver form.
- A parent or guardian must accompany all minors to the JACL National Convention.
National Convention Youth Silent Auction