The confidence of Grade 12 students in the Global Citizen Bilingual Program: From the Community Project classroom to the “chief director” of TALKTOPUS

19/12/2025

As part of the Community Service course, after experiencing two approaches—Direct Service and Indirect Service—in previous academic years, this semester the Grade 12G1 and 12G2 students at GFS Ecopark Campus have moved on to implement the third approach: Advocacy.

With the third approach—Advocacy, which amplifies individual voices to the wider community through a real-world project, “Talktopus”—a student speaker competition—was initiated by Grade 12G1 and 12G2 students as a way to transform classroom knowledge into a project with broad reach and social impact. With the guidance of subject teachers, the students spent four dedicated months planning and promoting the competition, mentoring and training contestants, recruiting judges, and coordinating the event’s organization.

*TALKTOPUS – the first student speaker competition at GFS where students took on the role of “chief directors.”*

After an intense application round and preliminary round, the Talktopus Grand Final took place on December 19, featuring nine outstanding finalists from Grades 10 and 11. In seven minutes, each contestant delivered an English speech centered on one of two themes: “The Impact of One” and “Together for Change.”

On stage, contestants confidently expressed their viewpoints, personal perspectives, and inspiring stories. Behind the scenes, the Organizing Committee remained fully focused on their assigned roles—closely monitoring the competition’s progress and discussing contingency plans to promptly address any issues that might arise.

*The Top 9 finalists were highly praised for both the quality of their speeches and their stage presence.*

Ms. Vu Phuong Anh, Lecturer at the Faculty of International Politics and Diplomacy (Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam) and a member of the judging panel, shared: “I highly appreciate the quality and preparation of the Top 9 finalists. They demonstrated confidence, strong time management, and clear thinking in their speeches. Many contestants presented coherent arguments, explored their topics in depth, and used English naturally.

I was also particularly impressed by the systematic and professional work of the Organizing Committee—from invitations and reception to overall coordination. I was quite surprised to learn that ‘Talktopus’ was carried out entirely within the framework of a single course project. This is a highly commendable model for fostering responsibility, leadership, organizational skills, and proactiveness among students.”

Nguyen Ngoc Ha, Deputy Head of the Organizing Committee, shared: “As the first English public speaking competition at GFS, ‘Talktopus’ brought many new experiences and quite a few challenges. However, it was through this journey that we learned how to listen, work as a team, and take responsibility for a shared project. Looking back, I can clearly see the growth—not only in myself, but across the entire Organizing Committee.”

After compelling performances, “Talktopus” announced the most outstanding speakers:

First Prize – The Best Speaker Award: Ly Minh Hieu (9C1)
Second Prize – The Influential Speaker Award: Nguyen Dieu Linh (10G1)
Third Prize – The Rising Speaker Award:
Ngo Thuc Anh (11A1), Vu Khanh Ngoc (11A3), Cao Hoang Van Khanh (9C1)

Through the “Talktopus” project, Grade 12G1 and 12G2 students not only gained a deeper understanding of—and successfully applied—the Advocacy orientation of the Community Project course to a real initiative, but also demonstrated the true spirit of Gen Z: daring to think, daring to act, taking initiative, embracing creativity, and fearlessly experimenting. “Talktopus” is not merely a competition—it marks a milestone in the students’ journey of confidently stepping beyond the classroom to create meaningful value for the community.

*The judges and the organizing committee took a commemorative photo after the competition concluded.*

Congratulations to the Talktopus Organizing Committee for completing their mission with excellence after four months of dedicated preparation and implementation, and congratulations to all contestants for leaving a strong impression with their confidence, professionalism, and stage presence. Now, we warmly invite parents, teachers, and students to look back at the most emotional moments from the Talktopus Grand Final.

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The confidence of Grade 12 students in the Global Citizen Bilingual Program: From the Community Project classroom to the “chief director” of TALKTOPUS

GREENFIELD INTERNATIONAL BIBLE SCHOOL