【Macau News Agency】Students awarded in UN Goals themed English essay competition

Some 68 students have been distinguished for their essays themed on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in an awards ceremony held on Saturday at the Macao Science Centre. The maiden edition of the Macao-Wide English Essay Competition, organized by the Macau Speech Professionals Association, drew 1,644 students from 53 local schools and education institutions.

 

Under the general theme “The change I want to make”, students were asked to share their views on what kind of world they envision by 2030 in light of the 17 SDGs listed under the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” adopted by all 193 member states of the United Nations.

 

“This is a testament to the importance of this discussion and the relevance of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals in our lives” – Sandy Leong, Macau Speech Professionals Association

Sandy Leong,  Managing Vice President of the  Macau Speech Professionals Association and Macao-Wide English Essay Competition Chair, told Macau News Agency that they are “grateful for the overwhelming support, participation, and involvement from all our stakeholders”, adding that “this is a testament to the importance of this discussion and the relevance of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals in our lives”.

 

By organizing this event, Ms Leong notes that they found that “not only are students eager to develop their English writing abilities, they are also interested to learn about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals”.

 

All this engagement and involvement is inspiring for the Macau Speech Professionals Association. “Students and educators would contact us asking for additional resources to learn about the Global Goals and by challenging students to think about how they can contribute to a better future, we hope our competition can instigate meaningful discussions within our community”, Sandy Leong added.

 

The essay “Winds of Hope” by Judy Guo Chiang, a City University of Macau student was the first prize winner of the competition’s College Category, while Jonathan Feather Ruggles from The International School of Macau was distinguished with the top High School Category Prize with the essay “The Future We Desire is Not the Future We are Getting”.

 

In the Middle School Category, Gabriel Devara Wangk, a student at the Macau Anglican College English Section secured the top award with his essay “Give Books, Receive Books, Save Trees”. The youngest first prize winner was Juliana Shuyue Li, from Premier School Affiliated to Hou Kong Middle School, who wrote the essay “No One Should be Homeless”.