Chloë Cauchi, 20, from Gozo, was recently crowned the Public Speaking Champion at the JCI European Conference held in Bucharest, Romania. She beat off stiff competition from 11 other countries.

The competition began on May 26, where Chloë delivered her first speech, ‘A leader's purpose is to serve and not to be served’. Her eloquence, charisma, and expressiveness impressed the panel of foreign judges who voted her through to the final, to be held the following day.

Her second, and final, speech tackled the topic of ‘The importance of purposeful leadership’, where once again, she commanded the room with her expression and clarity.

Unlike the first round, the judges’ decision was kept a secret until the final night of the conference, where Chloë was announced as the overall winner during the Gala Dinner, much to her delight and the pleasure and honour of the JCI Malta members present.

As a result of her win, Chloë will represent both JCI Malta and JCI Europe at the JCI World Congress to be held in Zurich, Switzerland in November, where she will compete against the public speaking winners representing other JCI regions.

Moreover, at the same European conference, the JCI Malta Debating Team, comprising Francesca Giudice, Michael Gatt, and Aimée Mallia, also performed brilliantly and reached the debating finals against JCI Ireland, who ultimately emerged the winners.

Junior Chamber International (JCI) is a non-profit international organisation that provides opportunities for young people to develop leadership skills, social responsibility, entrepreneurship, and networking abilities. Public speaking and debating are one of the key pillars of JCI, recognised as essential and necessary skills for leadership.