First Step 团队暑假活动集锦（二）演讲训练

米雪儿

自从美中下一代教育基金会成功举办了演讲比赛之后，华二代的家长们对演讲与口才的重视空前高涨，虽然比赛已经结束，但对演讲的热情依旧不减，尤其团队内安静不张扬的孩子家长，更是说出＂比赛是短暂的，让孩子持续锻练才是更重要的＂这样的言辞。面对这样的情况，团队负责演讲训练的 VP Emily Song决定暑假再搞四次训练，网上两次实体两次，还特意邀请了哈佛大学的辨论营执教Counselor  Virginia Laing 前来助阵。
心愿是美好的，现实是骨感的，孩子们的暑假出游总是让活动计划不易落实，为了活动更有果效，时间、地点、人员都一变再变，多亏几位家长的辛劳，总算把实体地点和网上时间搞定，活动通知一经发出，那就是开弓没有回头箭了。
中国有句老话“一份耕耘一份收获"，经过几次线上线下的训练与互动，终于收到了良好果效和一致认可，尤其是最后一次实体操练，受到了家长的广泛好评。有人赞美团队精神高尚；有人赞美家长考虑周全；有人赞美主持人爱心满满；有人赞美训练官才华横溢。总之一句话，活动办得太好了！
看下日历，暑假过半，除了演讲训练，团队的其他活动也如火如荼地进行着，敬老院的爱心演出、food bank的义工劳动、CNC的butterfly festival自愿者以及招手成团的捡垃圾义工，社会处处需要我们，我们也时刻准备着！
（撰稿Emily Song 中文翻译 鸿鸣）
Since the successful speech contest organized by North America Volunteers, parents of the second generation of Chinese have placed unprecedented importance on speech and eloquence. Although the contest has concluded, their enthusiasm for speech remains strong. This is especially true for the parents of quieter children, who have expressed that while the contest was brief, ongoing practice is crucial. In response, Emily Song, the team's VP responsible for speech training, decided to hold four additional training sessions during the summer vacation—two online and two in person. To enhance the sessions, Harvard University's debate camp coach, Virginia Laing, was specially invited to assist.

However, turning wishes into reality proved challenging. Children's summer vacation plans often disrupted the training schedule. To address this, adjustments were repeatedly made to the time, location, and personnel involved. Thanks to the diligent efforts of several parents, a final schedule for both physical and online sessions was established. Once the notice for the activities was issued, there was no turning back.

As the old Chinese saying goes, "you reap what you sow." After several sessions of both online and in-person training, we achieved excellent results and received widespread recognition. The final in-person session, in particular, was highly praised by parents. Compliments were given for the team spirit, the thoughtfulness of the parents, the host's dedication, and the trainers' expertise. Overall, the event was considered exceptionally well-organized.

With summer vacation now halfway through, the team remains active in various other activities, including charity performances at nursing homes, volunteer work at food banks, participation in the CNC Butterfly Festival, and community clean-up efforts. The need for volunteers is everywhere, and we are always ready to contribute!

YongP

真棒！