AkNOS competition
by Kathleen McCoy |
On April 14, UAA will host the 6th annual statewide tournament of the Alaska Native
Oratory Society. The 2007 statewide AkNOS competition is open to Native and non-Native
high school and college students from around the state. All events are free and open
to the public. The Central gathering place for the tournament will be the lobby area
of RH. The complete tournament schedule and registration information is available here.
AkNOS provides an opportunity for students to develop leadership skills through practicing
the art of public speaking. With four different speaking categories, students have
a range of ways to speak about and share issues of importance to indigenous populations.
Events offered at this year's statewide competition include Oratory, Declamation,
Storytelling and Native Languages. Cash prizes are offered for first, second and
third place award winners. Once the competitive portion of the tournament has concluded,
the Alaska Native Heritage Center will host a performance by the tournament's top
speakers. Events at the Heritage Center will begin at 6:00 p.m.
This year's statewide AkNOS competition will feature Bob Sam, Tlingit Storyteller
and Orator, as the Keynote Speaker. Mr. Sam has been working with AkNOS students
to help them find their voices and will provide inspiration to many in his Keynote
presentation.
Students who may be interested but are afraid to enter should rest assured that there
is help available for those who are nervous about public speaking. Faculty members
in both the Alaska Native Studies and Communication Departments are available to help
with speeches, introduce students to others entering the competition, and provide
encouragement to all! Whether through one-on-one coaching or in group gatherings
at the Cama-i Room in the UAA Commons or at Native Students Services in Rasmuson Hall,
we encourage all students who are interested in sharing their ideas with others to
enter the competition and get involved in AkNOS!
For more information, visit the AkNOS website or call (907) 786.6136.
"AkNOS competition" is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.