Empowering and equipping Mauritian women with essential tools that will allow them to shine and become the leaders of tomorrow: This was the aim of a two-day training, hosted by Le Défi Training School, which the fifteen contestants of the Miss Universe Mauritius pageant competition had the chance to follow on 7th and 8th September.
They are fifteen beautiful, intelligent and bold young women aged between 18 and 27 who are competing for the crown of Miss Universe Mauritius, organized by Estrella Mauritius. The contestants of the pageant competition had the opportunity to follow a two-day workshop at Le Défi Training School on the themes ‘We Empower’ and ‘Public Speaking’.
The beauty queens were imparted with key skills and tools that are significant to making them gain more self-confidence, to speak their minds and make their voices heard. On Saturday 7th September, the first workshop focused on the theme ‘Women Empowerment’ and was animated by Georgina Ragaven and Anuradha Nunkoo from the NGO We Empower.
“We were approached by the Organizing Committee of Miss Universe Pageant to help in the training of the participants. We met to agree on our philosophies for such an event, which is mainly the power within, beauty of the soul with values that can help the participants to grow with self-confidence and be role models, irrespective whether they wear the crown or not,” explained the trainers, who covered different modules during the workshop, among which was gender equality.
During the enriching experience, where there were lots of sharing and networking, the fifteen Mauritian beauties also acquired public speaking skills. On Sunday 8th September, the workshop focused on ‘Public Speaking’, which was hosted by Atish Bogolah, public speaking expert. “The idea of this workshop was, first and foremost, to provide them with the tools they needed to express themselves with confidence and to deal with impromptu questions. We provided them with tips and techniques to face an audience, and worked on their voice intonation that reflects both their personality and that captivates the attention of the audience,” explained Atish Bogolah.
Le Défi Training School, on its side, seized the occasion to launch its new logo. Set up since 2006, this training school’s aim is to continue supporting personal and professional developments. Le Défi Training School, which can accommodate up to 25 persons, in fact plans to partner with other institutions and professionals to provide technical and practical training. It will also offer internships for those wishing to follow a career in the media and communication sector.
The Miss Universe Mauritius competition is reserved for Mauritian women aged 18 to 27. It is not a competition that focuses on physical appearance and beauty. The grand finale of the 32nd edition of the contest will be held on 17th September at the Caudan Arts Center in Port Louis.
