Debate in the Neighborhood

From September-December 2009, several activities focusing on debate have been planned in the Netherlands. All part of the "Debate in the Neighborhood Program," organized by IDEA-Netherlands, these activities will take place in the cities of Zeeland, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam.

In Zeeland, teachers, youth workers, and volunteers are being trained on how to teach debate to students. These skills will be used help students in secondary schools and youth centers participate in local public debates.

A debate masterclass will also be hosted in Zeeland on October 2nd. The class will be held for the winners of a debate festival held in June and for those who participated in the Debate in the Neighborhood programs last year.

In Rotterdam, IDEA-NL is helping organize a debate festival on November 28th at the Youth Centre in the Crooswijk-Kralingen neighborhood. IDEA will help prepare students from the secondary school in Crooswijk-Kralingen in October for the festival. The debates will center around friendship, security, and local government and will add to the campaign, "Your World Activities of Rotterdam, European Youth Capitol 2009." Quintis, a famous Dutch television actor, along with several local artists, will help present the festival.

In the same neighborhood, local police and youth will engage in a debate-style dialogue to address problems between the two groups. IDEA will moderate this debate, and will help both the police and youth train for the event in November.

Also in Rotterdam, Traverse, a project supported by local government and private companies, has started a project that provides youth with training that will help them integrate into society. IDEA-NL has been asked to train two groups, and organize a debate with the government and local employers to discuss what is necessary for integration.

In neighborhood of Hoogvliet, Rotterdam, IDEA will train a group of young leaders who are in charge of organizing public debates for local youth. The Department of Youth and Education in Hoogvliet will sponsor the training and debates.

This October in Amsterdam, teachers, youth workers, and volunteers will be trained to prepare for several public debates throughout the region. A representative from the Youth Advisory Board of the Dutch Broadcasting Corporation will also be present, as the board is sponsoring some of the volunteers.

For more information on the Debate in the Neighborhood program, visit the IDEA-NL website or the events page on idebate.org.