Guyana's Premier National Environmental Speech Competition, SHOUT, Returns for World Environment Day 2025
- Dave Lalltoo
- Mar 28
- 4 min read
Georgetown, Guyana – Recover Guyana is pleased to announce the 2025 edition of SHOUT, dubbed SHOUT 3.0, Guyana's leading National Environmental Speech Competition, taking place on June 5, 2025, in honour of World Environment Day. Supported by ExxonMobil Guyana and the Ministry of Education, the competition empowers secondary school students across all ten administrative regions of Guyana to take an active role in environmental sustainability through public speaking, research, and advocacy.
Now in its third year, SHOUT 3.0 implemented by the registered NGO Recover Guyana has grown into a nationally recognized platform that inspires youth to take action and drive sustainable change across Guyana. The competition, open to Grade 9-10 students, seeks to raise awareness on pressing environmental issues while encouraging students to come up with innovative solutions to help safeguard their schools and communities. Speaking at the opening ceremony at the National Library of Guyana, Founder and President of Recover, Dr. Dave Lalltoo said “SHOUT 3.0 is more than just a competition—it’s a movement empowering young voices to become the next generation of environmental leaders. By equipping students with knowledge, confidence, and a platform to advocate for change, we are shaping a more sustainable future for Guyana, one speech at a time.”
SHOUT 3.0 fosters leadership, innovation and environmental stewardship offering students a platform to turn their ideas into meaningful projects that transform their schools and communities. This year’s competition offers over $4M in cash and prizes including a $1M cash grant to implement a proposed Environmental Enhancement Project at the winning high school. Notable awards, including the ExxonMobil Guyana’s County Winner Green Innovation Awards, Best Speaker Award, Most Influential Speech Award, Green Award, and Environmental Impact Award, will reward outstanding achievements.
Since its inception in 2023, SHOUT has seen incredible success. The first winner, Vasanna Persaud of Queen’s College, launched a Water Purification and Sustainability Project at her school to combat plastic bottle waste, saving 30,000 plastic bottles from landfills in 2024. That project has become a sustainable model that Recover Guyana continues to implement in schools across Guyana. In 2024, Gabriella Arjune, also a student of Queen’s College, emerged victorious and implemented the Queen’s College Hydroponic Kitchen Garden System. This innovative project introduced sustainable farming techniques that reduce the environmental footprint of traditional agriculture while providing fresh, nutrient-dense produce for school meals.
With continued support from ExxonMobil Guyana, the competition takes a proactive step in support of Guyana’s environmental protection and sustainable living. Lasawhna Prescott, Community Relations Advisor said “Working with SHOUT is a great example of why ExxonMobil Guyana partners with NGOs to direct our community investment. I’ve experienced the passion, enthusiasm and focus of the SHOUT team to nurture understanding of environmental issues and empower young individuals to become advocates promoting environmental consciousness among their peers.”
Mr. Sherwyn Blackman, the Assistant Chief Education Officer for Secondary at the Ministry of Education remarked “This competition fosters advocacy by empowering youth to raise their voices for positive change and become champions of the environment. I offer congratulations to Recover Guyana for taking the lead in promoting very important values to safeguard the environment. I also offer congratulations to the students who will be participating in this competition.”
This year’s SHOUT will unfold over four exciting phases, beginning with a one minute video submission, giving applicants the opportunity to showcase their knowledge and passion for environmental protection. On June 5, 30 qualifying schools will advance to the remaining three phases where they will deliver speeches to secure their spot among the top three finalists. An expert selection panel will implement a fair and transparent process to evaluate the participants’ knowledge, proposed environmental solutions and presentation skills to determine the finalists of SHOUT 3.0.
SHOUT 3.0 is realized through generous support of corporate donors, including ExxonMobil Guyana, the official title sponsor, Nand Persaud Group, the Premium Green Sponsor, Flawless Dental GY, Camex Restaurants Inc., Scotiabank Guyana, Guyoil as Eco-Green Sponsors, along with One Communications, ONE Fibre Sponsor, SEVA Marketing Inc., Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel, Anthony Indar Productions, M. Pro Media, Engage Media, Guyana Premier Consultancy, ELEVATE, Pixel Perfect Productions, Guyana Learning Channel, and Guyana Tourism Authority.
Through SHOUT, Recover Guyana and its partners are cultivating a generation of environmentally conscious young leaders, empowering students to speak out, act, and lead on important environmental issues. This competition fosters a sense of responsibility, enabling students to take ownership of their future and become proactive stewards of the environment.
SHOUT 3.0 is open to Grade 9 and 10 students from all secondary schools across Guyana. To register for the competition or learn more about participation, students are invited to visit Recover Guyana’s website: https://www.recoverguyana.org/shout-2025
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