Engage 1000 Bulgarian students in public speaking

From August 1 through August 7 BEST Foundation hosted its first ever Summer Camp. The Camp, aimed at developing participant’s critical thinking and public speaking skills, took place at the Bulgarian Red Cross’s National Training Center in Lozen and gathered 31 participants from all over Bulgaria, a third of which never having participated in a BEST competition. 

Camp Director Dr. Timothy Yazco held daily lectures which taught participants how to properly organise and articulate their thoughts, as well as how to defend their point of view. On each of the days we also had guest lecturers who talked about various topics related to public speaking, such as communication theory, non-verbal communication and improvisation.

„BEST’s camp was the perfect combination of fun and learning. Although I have competed in debates and original oratory before, my skills and knowledge of them have improved significantly. In addition to learning, our mentors also offered us various activities that helped us relax and brought us closer together. An unforgettable experience!”
- Ekaterina Valeva, Foreign Language School, Plovdiv 

After the morning theoretical lessons, the participants had the opportunity to apply what they learned in afternoon debate exercises, and then to relax with all kinds of sports activities. On Friday the participants were divided into teams and debated against each other. This time the debates took place one after another as the other teams evaluated their peers' skills. The Camp concluded in the evening after with an official closing ceremony where we gave out awards for best team, best speaker, most improved participant, as well as most witty participant.

“The camp was a surreal experience - a memory that I will keep and cherish forever. It allowed me to surround myself with amazing people who helped me to improve not only as a speaker, but also as an individual.”
- Kadir Kadir, FLS "Ekzarh Yosif" - Razgrad

The camp received positive feedback from nearly all the participants. We would like to make it an annual event if we receive the financial support to do so. This event was held with the financial assistance and support of the Bulgarian-American Fulbright Educational Exchange Commission.

We are now looking forward to a packed September when we will hold our new Management Team's training, a second Summer Slam showcase, Student Leader Training and a new and improved Coach Training, While we are unsure what awaits us in the coming year with a new lockdown looming over, we are eager to get back to tournaments, be it virtually or in person. One way or another, BEST is here to stay!