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Here’s your chance to practice (and to win great prizes like cash and scholarships!)
2025-2026 Topic: “The Moment I Realized I Belonged — My Definition of Community”

Thursday April 9, 2026, 6:25 p.m.
Craft Room, Brooklin Library & Community Centre, 8 Vipond Rd, Brooklin, ON
Open to students under the age of 19 as of Oct. 1, 2026 and not yet graduated from high school.

Students will prepare a 4-5 minute speech in English on the topic announced in January. Strict rules apply to make the competition fair for all contestants. At the club level, judges from the community use the marking scheme published by Optimist International to score points for the best speaker. The will will move on to higher level competition with additional prizes.

Club winner can advance to regional and District contests. District winner can compete at the World Competition at:
July 16-17, 2026
Saint Louis University
St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Scholarships start at District level and above.

Application for 2025-2026 Optimist International Oratorical Contest, please CLICK HERE for PDF flyer.

Contact Brian Wick bwick@brooklinoptimist.org for more information. (Text: 905-922-5678 )

Essay Contest for $2500 Scholarship

ESSAY CONTEST

The Essay Contest is sponsored by Optimist International to give young people the opportunity to write about their own opinions regarding the world in which they live.

The approach can encompass a young person’s personal experience, the experience of their country or a more historical perspective. In addition to developing skills for written expression, participants also have the opportunity to win a medal at the club level (1st, 2nd, 3rd) and if successful at the club level to compete for a college scholarship at the district level of $2,500.

The Essay topic for the 2025-2026 year is:

“How My Acts of Service Help Me Understand What My Community Means to Me”

The contest is open to contestants under the age of 19 as of October 1st of the current Optimist International contest year (October 1 – September 30) and who have not yet completed secondary school or its equivalent, including CEGEP students in Québec, Canada. There is no minimum age. For full rules please download and submit the application form by the deadline.

How to Enter

Interested students should submit essays on the assigned topic to the Optimist Club of Brooklin. The essays are judged at the Club level and District level. For full rules please download and submit the application form by the deadline Feb 22, 2026 .

Length

700-800 words (Title, footnotes and bibliography are not included in the final word count). Hyphenated words count as one (1) word. Words are to be counted manually.

April 25, 2024 marked the end of 4 training sessions for students at Winchester Public School who signed up for the after school program Brooklin Catalyst, a program to inspire them to develop and business idea and prepare to present in front of a panel of judges.

Miss Prentice was awarded the $100 grant to propel her idea of providing more access to book for those who are avid readers and need more material at a reduced cost.

Congratulations to all who presented. All students were surprising well prepared with a passionate presentation, visual materials, hand-made business cards, and even one had started a website.

Thank you to all who supported this program including Brooklin Optimist members, previous presenters and the staff at Winchester.

Apply today for one of two – $1,000 bursaries to a post secondary institution.

More details here . . .

Brooklin Optimist Scavenger Hunt
Saturday May 14, 12:00-3:00 PM
Luther Vipond Arena Grounds, 67 Winchester Rd E, Brooklin, Ontario

Fun family activity for Saturday afternoon.
Games and Activities Throughout.
Chance to win weekend passes to the Brooklin Spring Fair. 

Register here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1i9Wwj2Tacz8FVe6vqs65q28c66yzdOAzF2LRmWG3fGk/viewform?edit_requested=true