Speech Done

I had to write and give a speech for my Child and Family Advocacy class. We were told to write a persuasive speech about a social issue affecting children and families along with laws or policies involving that issue. I chose to write about mental illness using my experience with my mom as an example. I talked about the importance of yearly mental health screenings for children and adolescents. I talked about the need to have conversations about it to help people be more willing to seek help.

This was a hard speech to write because I had to make sure I used enough research from reputable research in a way that was easy to understand. Peer review articles can be hard to read though and even harder to incorporate in this type of writing. Once I get going on something like this, it is even harder to narrow down what needs to be included. It was only supposed to be 3 to 5 minutes. I had to cut out two entire paragraphs as well smaller sections here and there. Finding policies and laws in my state was probably the easiest part of the process. 

This was also a hard speech to give. I was able to read the entire speech, but it is hard to talk about certain aspects of growing up without getting emotional. I love my mom, and I know she was a good mom when her mental illness did not get in the way. Her hospitalizations and leaving the family are not topics I enjoy talking about. I almost cried once, but I was able to gain my composure and finish the speech. 

After I performed the speech and my class meeting was over, I read it for my husband. He got emotional hearing details he hadn’t heard before this. 

I am thankful for the opportunity to do this speech. I was able to learn more about myself and my family in he process. If all I learn from this education process is how to process my past and be a better functioning person, it will all be worth it.