Geneviève Krol, Fairtrade Lëtzebuerg; Liah Jacobowitz; Victor Magnien, Christophe Bouchard, Ambassador of France to Luxembourg; Virginie Gilbert, MAE; Credit: Fairtrade Lëtzebuerg

On Monday 8 December 2025, non-governmental organisation Fairtrade Lëtzebuerg hosted the grand finale of the 2025 Public Speaking Competition, “Je porte, donc je pense” at Neumünster Abbey (neimënster) in Luxembourg Grund.

The event was undertaken as part of the Rethink Your Clothes campaign, funded by Luxembourg’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs (MAE), Fairtrade Lëtzebuerg and in collaboration with the Institut Français du Luxembourg.

According to Fairtrade Lëtzebuerg, the grand finale was marked by the young speakers’ deep engagement, the creativity of their presentations and the strength of their messages delivered with positive and sincere energy. They noted that as true ambassadors of critical thinking, the participants “moved and inspired the audience” through their motivation, sensitivity and ability to defend their convictions. 

The jury, chaired by Christophe Bouchard, Ambassador of France to Luxembourg, announced the winners of the 2025 edition as:

•            1st place: Liah Jacobowitz and Victor Magnien, from Vauban – École et Lycée Français de Luxembourg

•            2nd place: Princess Chelsea Ekanga and Sacha Missoh, from the École Internationale de Mondorf-les-Bains

•            3rd place: Diego Michels and Ilian Back, from the Lënster Lycée International School

The first-place winners will receive a study trip to India, focused on exploring the fair-trade cotton sector, funded by the MAE and supervised by Fairtrade Lëtzebuerg. This trip will allow them to meet local stakeholders, understand the realities of cotton production and assess the social, economic and environmental impacts of the textile industry firsthand.

Fairtrade Lëtzebuerg said that beyond the awards, all students who participated in this edition followed a remarkable journey, combining critical thinking, public speaking, teamwork and civic engagement. All demonstrated maturity, analytical skills, and strong commitment throughout the project.

The finale also featured a dance performance by Norah Noush and her dancers, which resonated with the themes addressed by the young speakers.

The 2025 edition of the competition brought together around 100 students from six schools in Luxembourg, guided throughout the project by their teachers:

• École Internationale de Mondorf-les-Bains: Carine Ambrosini-Testa

• École Privée Fieldgen: Stéphanie Parizel

• Lënster Lycée International School: Camille Raynaud

• Nordstad-Lycée: Anick Majerus, Romy Morang and Nadine Krux

• Lycée Robert Schuman: Marie-Lyne Keller

• Vauban – École et Lycée Français de Luxembourg: Anne Severac and Corinne Schimek

Prior to the finale, in November 2025, students participated in two weeks of intensive workshops, including:

• Awareness workshops on the realities of the textile industry, run as part of the ‘Rethink Your Clothes’ campaign

• Eloquence workshops led by the Éloquentia Association, helping students to build confidence, critical thinking and argumentation skills

At the end of these sessions, each school selected two finalists, forming the eight duos invited to compete in the public finale.