Debate organization announces 'Youth Forum Seliger'

The "World of Debate" section of the International Youth Forum Seliger-2010 is bringing together over 150 students from different countries to enhance their debating skills, discuss various matters, promote debates to over 2,000 other participants of the Forum and set up joint projects with other debating societies and clubs.

The "World of Debate" section includes:

• A tournament in the American parliamentary format and games in the British parliamentary, Lincoln Douglas and Carl Popper formats, as well as political debates
• Workshops aimed at developing participants' debating skills
• Lectures by international business leaders, politicians, academics, etc.
• Round tables on joint debate projects and the promotion of debates

Seliger-2010 will take place in Tver Region in the Russian Federation, July 1st-8th. Submit your applications and learn more about Seliger-2010 at www.seliger2010.com

If selected, you will be responsible only for your fare to and from Moscow and a participation fee of 70; we will take care of everything else, including your visa.

If you have questions, please write to debatenet@mail.ru.

IDEBATE Press publishes 'Digital Activism Decoded'

Next week, IDEBATE Press will release Digital Activism Decoded: The New Mechanics of Change. The media has recently been abuzz with cases of citizens around the world using digital technologies to push for social and political change: from the use of Twitter to amplify protests in Iran and Moldova to the thousands of American non-profits creating Facebook accounts in the hopes of luring supporters.

These stories have been published, discussed, extolled, and derided, but have not yet been viewed holistically as a new field of human endeavor. We call this field “digital activism” and its dynamics, practices, misconceptions, and possible futures are presented together for the first time in this book.

Author Mary Joyce is an internationally recognized speaker, trainer, writer, consultant, and commentator in the field of digital activism. She is the founder of the Meta-Activism Project, which seeks to build a new body of activism strategy that recognizes the radically different communications infrastructure of the digitally networked world.

She is also the cofounder of DigiActive.org, an organization dedicated to the study and promotion of digital technology by grassroots activists around the world. Mary was the New Media Operations Manager for President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign.
To order your copy, visit the idebate.org store today.

International Tournament of Champions wraps up with excellent competition, fun

On May 22 and 23, excellent teams from Canada, the Philippines and several states within the US gathered on the campus of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, for the 6th annual International Tournament of Champions. The three-person teams debated, in the World Schools format, the topic, "In some cases, juveniles should be tried as adults."

Competition was fierce during the day, but in the evenings students gathered for impromtu talent contests, games on the Wii, foosball, air hockey and movies.

"WOW! We had an amazing time," said parent Karima Kassam. "Our son Armaan is actively involved with debate and we have gone as far as the Czech Republic to debate. Truly, the organization, the atmosphere, the comradery, and yes of course the FOOD exceeded our expectations."

Here are the results:
1st Christina Yu, Armaan Kassam and Annie Jin of Team Burnaby, Burnaby, British Columbia
2nd Annie McKenna and Logan Brog of Bentley School, Lafayette, California
3rd Karl G. Maeser Preparatory Academy
4th Ashley Bowron, Trevor Davis and Liam Carson of West Point Grey Academy, Vancouver, British Columbia

The International Tournament of Champions is known for its more relaxed, fun, intimate atmosphere. Students stay on-campus in dorm rooms, getting a taste for campus life while making friends with students from different corners of the globe.

Registration for the 2011 tournament will begin in January 2011.

2010 IDEA NJFL Nationals biggest ever

The premier US middle school tournament, the NJFL Nationals, closed registration at 219 teams from 45 schools all over the US and Asia. This marks the largest NJFL Nationals yet!

This year, the Nationals will take place in Des Moines, Iowa, within three Des Moines high schools, June 24-27. As always, students compete in several speaking events:

Policy Debate
Lincoln Douglas Debate
Public Forum Debate
Dramatic Interpretation
Humorous Interpretation
Poetry Interpretation
Prose Interpretation
Duo Interpretation
Declamation NEW!
Original Oratory
Extemporaneous Speaking
Impromptu Speaking
Congressional Debate

To read more about the NJFL Nationals, visit the new juniorforensicleague.org website.

And the winners of The People Speak Global Debates are...

Congratulations to New Hope Academy (US), Santee High School (US), Liceul Academie de Stiint (Moldova) and Nancho Popovich (Bulgaria), the winners of the fall 2009/spring 2010 Global Debates! These top two US and top two international teams receive all-expenses-paid trips to the 2010 IDEA Youth Forum in Zeeland, Netherlands. The Youth Forum is an incredible three-week event bringing together high school students from more than 90 countries.
The winners maximized their Global Debates points by completing as many service projects, public service announcements, press releases and blog posts as possible, and they enlisted the involvement of their local elected leaders to help spread their climate change message.
The remaining top six schools will win UN Foundation grants ($2,000) to support their school's climate change initiatives, as well as 50% off Youth Forum registration fees. View the final results here.
Participating schools post their public service announcements and debates to the Global Debates YouTube channel. To participate in the the next round of Global Debates, register here, and be sure to leave "I'd like to receive periodic e-mail updates from this campaign" checked. You will receive updates on the prizes, deadlines, topics, and more to prep you for your Global Debates!

Registration ends tomorrow for 2010 National Middle School Tournament

Tomorrow, May 15th, marks the deadline to enter for the premier debate event that prepares middle school students for competition on a national level. Hosted by International Debate Education Association (IDEA) and the National Junior Forensic League (NJFL), the 2010 National Middle School Tournament will be held at Dowling Catholic High School in Iowa City, Iowa June 24th-27th. Click here to register your team today.

Plus, when you register for the tournament, your team will also receive organizational memberships to both IDEA and NJFL! For more information on tournament events, schedule, travel and more, visit the tournament website or download the complete 2010 tournament manual. For further details, contact tournament organizer Elizabeth Carson-Garland at ecarson@idebate.org.

Application and scholarship deadline extended for Advocacy Institute in China

The deadline to apply for the Advocacy Institute in China has just been extended to May 21st! Don't miss this amazing opportunity to study debate and persuasion this summer with award winning U.S. professors and experienced local trainers. IDEA is also offering full scholarships to applicants from East Asia and developing countries to attend the institute.

Hosted by IDEA, Willamette University, and Xiamen University, the Advocacy Institute invites university students to the city of Xiamen, in the Fujian province of China, for a two and a half week program June 7th-23rd. The institute will give participants the necessary tools to advocate for cultural and environmental sustainability with courses that focus on sustainability, tangible and intangible cultural heritage, argumentation and debate, and new media.

Ensure your spot today at the IDEA Advocacy Institute in China! Click here to download the application. For more information on this event, click here or email Crystal Jeffers at cjeffers@willamette.edu.

Activity points due for Spring 2010 Global Debates competition

The final day for Global Debates teams to submit their points is tomorrow, May 15th! All activities including video PSAs, research blogs, press coverage, or community service projects, must be submitted in order to count towards your team's overall point tabulation. To submit your Global Debates points, click here.

In addition, all debates and climate change adaptation plans must have been completed by April 30th. A showcase of videos on The People Speak blog has been posted of already submitted public debates, adaptation plans and community service projects. More videos of Global Debates activities can be found on the YouTube Global Debates page.

Want to get involved next year? The People Speak Global Debates are free to join and are held both fall and spring semesters. Students organize public debates and write action plans. Then they earn extra points by making video public service announcements and research blogs, inviting local elected leaders to participate in their debate, organizing community service projects, and more. Visit The People Speak Global Debates website for further information.

Position for IDEA Northeast Asia Program Coordinator available

The International Debate Education Association announces an open call for applicants for the position of the Northeast Asia Program Coordinator. The position begins in September 2010 and the contract period is for one year with the possibility of renewal.

IDEA develops, organizes, and promotes debate and debate-related activities in communities throughout the world. IDEA’s mission is to promote mutual understanding and democracy globally by supporting discussion and active citizenship locally.

The Program Coordinator for this office will be based in Seoul, South Korea and will be supervised by Robert Trapp in the IDEA offices in Salem, Oregon.

Essential Functions:
1. Manage a regional debate program
2. Make site visits to establish local infrastructures for programs
3. Coordinate debate workshops
4. Supervise the development and translation of debate education materials into local languages
5. Communicate with other IDEA offices and staff
6. Network and establish relationships with local and regional partners
7. Assist with additional events when needed

Qualification Standards:
1. Must be a citizen of the United States or Canada
2. Must speak and write fluently in English
3. Fluent Mandarin and or Korean preferred
4. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
5. Debate training experience
6. Flexibility and willingness to travel on short notice
7. Excellent communication skills
8. Self-motivation and efficiency
9. Willing to be based in Seoul, Korea

Application Procedure:
Interested parties should send a cover letter, resume, and contact information for at least three references to Robert Trapp at trapp@willamette.edu and Lin Lu at llu@idebate.org. We will begin considering applications on April 30th, 2010 and will continue until the position is filled.

First annual China Open registration nearing deadline

Only two weeks remain until registration closes on May 21st for the first annual China Open! This large debate tournament for university students will take place May 28th-30th on the beautiful campus of Xi'an Jiaotong University in China. There are no participation fees; schools are only responsible for their lodging, meals, and transportation. The grand prize includes a debate tour of the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.

Debaters can choose from English or Mandarin divisions of debate competition or Moot Court competition. So far in the debate competition, 72 teams have registered for the English division and 26 teams have entered in the Mandarin division. Each school is limited to two English debate teams; however, for every Mandarin team entered, each school may enter one additional English team. Both of these divisions will use the Four-Team Parliamentary Debate format, which will be discussed during debate training. Learn more about the debate divisions.

In addition, debaters are encouraged to enter the Moot Court competition. This division will introduce university students to the rule of law, legal representation, court etiquette, techniques, strategies and competition in a simulated courtroom atmosphere. There will also be a full day of training for Moot Court debaters before competition begins. Learn more about the Moot Court division.

Click here and register today to improve your debating skills and compete for the grand prize, for free! To view the tournament schedule, click here. For more information, visit the China Open website.

Registration now open for World Online Debating Championships

The second-annual World Online Debating Championships has just opened its registration! Don't miss this opportunity to take part in the best (and only) online debating championships in the world! Entrance costs are $20 per person, however, bursaries are available for deserving applicants. Registration will close at the end of May.

The WODC is also looking for people to help organize the preliminary rounds. These country coordinators will act as liaisons between tournament organizers and debaters, and will sort out who will be taking part in the debates. Preliminary knock-out rounds will be held during the month of June to determine the representing teams of each country. The official WODC will begin in August and finish at the end of September.

Hosted by Debatewise and IDEA, the competition invites national teams from every corner of the globe to debate against each other about important issues facing the world today. Participation in these debates opens up a unique opportunity to gain different perspectives to any debater with an internet connection.

To register for the WODC or apply to be a country coordinator, send an email to wodc@debatewise.org. For more information, visit the WODC website or Facebook page.