On April 23rd, 2016, ACB Toastmaster Salim Ladak won 2nd Place in International Speech at Hong Kong’s Division O Contest, after winning at Area O1 and Centraler Toastmasters.

With his Pluralism speech entitled Connect, Salim shares humorous and dramatic stories about his experiences living in 5 countries.  His opening story about a French immersion in Québec builds up to stories from his birthplace of Tanzania and growing up in his permanent home of Canada.  They culminate in his school memories of being handed the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Salim calls on audiences everywhere to share the message to Connect across different cultures and colours of skin.  Offstage, he shares his thoughts:

Pluralism is more than diversity – it’s about creating an inclusive society that transcends any barriers and recognizes that our differences are strengths.

Salim’s speech ends by talking about cultural integration in Hong Kong, where he develops leaders with EQ.  He would like to thank the following Toastmasters for their encouragement and support:

He also wishes to thank his wife, Nadia, for her insightful feedback and audience.  Like a man on a mission, he competes so that he can more widely share his message to Connect!

Photos below: (1) Division O Awards; (2) Area O1 2nd Place; and (3) Centraler 3rd Place