Feature - Online Debates in Romania

Are online debates a vehicle for quality debates, based on thorough research, conducive to a better understanding of important issues? Or are they sleek but superficial, better suited to a chat-room like discussion? “In our experience, the first version is more plausible” says Bianca Dragomir of ARDOR.

ARDOR's Debate Academy created a community of students using critical reading and knowledge-based debates as tools for civil involvement.
Alongside critical reading seminars on opinion articles from prestigious journals like The Economist and Newsweek, and public debates where students were paired up with Romanian public figures, the program featured online debates.

Dragomir sees great advantage in using the internet. “Online debates are accessible to students interested in debate from all over the country, regardless of their location. It is an obvious medium for people who are used to spending hours online every day. No less importantly, it is cheaper to organize and to administrate than live debates”.

“Online debates are less spontaneous than the offline ones, but they are also more structured, more analytical and better researched, all due to the fact that students have more time to create and evaluate arguments, to dig for better examples and data.”

Style is evaluated and graded, just as it would be in a live debate. Yet in Romania, there is no creative writing in high schools. Online debates give students a unique opportunity to hone their writing skills.

“Students become more aware and responsible regarding the way they use quotations and sources.” notes Dragomir. “Oral debate sometimes gives room for modified quotations or data. This is less likely to occur online, where everything you mention as proof/quote/example is just a one click distance from the judge and the public.”

Now they are ready to do it all again, on a greater scale! Four Romanian cities and centers of higher education – Cluj, Ia?i, Bucure?ti and Timi?oara – will join to discuss the topic they will have voted as their favorite. This exercise will give an overview on how young people understand issues such as migration, ethnic and racial minorities, public/private education, the Romanian health system, depending on their geographic location and cultural differences.

Results - WODC 2010

The 2010 WODC was won by the Czech Republic, who beat New Zealand 4-2 in the final. It was a tight debate on the motion that Social Housing Should Be Assigned In A Way Which Engineers Mixed Race Communities.

It was adjudicated by a top panel of judges including Rose Helens-Hart, Fred Cowell, Loke Wing Fatt, Andy Hume, Tommy Tonner and Anne Valkering.
Congratulations to both sets of finalists and everyone else who took part.

Competition - You’re The Judge

We have a winner! Take a bow, Karl Lall, for giving a perfect answer to my question. Credit also to the runners-up, Lithembe Sebe, Abdul Somed Abdul Basit and Yuriy Gayevskiy.
The problem was: In a British Parliamentary debate, the first speaker of the closing government team is making her speech. She spends several minutes rebutting the opening opposition, then makes two new arguments to further the proposition. After the debate, a fellow adjudicator says you should penalise her for failing to make an extension. You are forced to admit that she did not use the word “extension”. On that basis, he wants to demote the team from first to second.
Karl says: “Debate should not be about using certain words - it should be about ideas and concepts. In a BP debate we value the fact, that the debate does not stand in one place but rather that new arguments are being brought to the table. If the second speaker of Gov 2 has presented two new arguments, then (s)he has fulfilled that role - the debate has been taken further on. The fact that (s)he did not use the words "extention" or "elaboration" or "my new material" or similar, is irrelevant and (s)he certainly does not deserve to be punished for not using a specific word, when (s)he has clearly done what we expect from a 1st speaker of Gov 2.”
Today's challenge is about online debating.

Q3: “In the first round of the World Online Debating Championships, your opponents write a very long and detailed case, linking to dozens of articles and using very difficult technical language that you don't understand. You feel out of your depth and worry that you are going to lose. Should you copy their style? Should you adopt their approach? Or should you do something different?

Answers please to nhsemail@gmail.com.

WODC semi-finals results

Results are in for the semi-finals of the 2010 World Online Debating Championships. New Zealand beat Greece 3-1 and Czech Republic beat Canada 4-0.

The motions were Patents On Life-Saving Drugs Should Be Bypassed and Minors Should Be Able To Obtain Abortions Without Parental Consent. Despite the apparently clear margin of victory, both debates were very tight affairs.

The final, between Czech Republic and New Zealand, will begin on Monday 27th September. You can follow the debate, vote and comment here: http://debatewise.org

WODC semi-finals results

Results are in for the semi-finals of the 2010 World Online Debating Championships. New Zealand beat Greece 3-1 and Czech Republic beat Canada 4-0.



The motions were Patents On Life-Saving Drugs Should Be Bypassed and Minors Should Be Able To Obtain Abortions Without Parental Consent. Despite the apparently clear margin of victory, both debates were very tight affairs.


The final, between Czech Republic and New Zealand, will begin on Monday 27th September. You can follow the debate, vote and comment here: http://debatewise.org

World Debate Forum

Registration for World Debate Forum now open!



Every year debaters and enthusiasts from far corners and dense centers of the world converge in one spot to compete, debate and celebrate their community. In the short period of time dedicated to determining champions, debaters also explore other challenges - like how to improve adjudication, how to develop debate, sharing methods to raise funds.

There are also those who are use debate outside of tournaments - teachers, advocates, community workers, budding politicians; who look to improve what they do by interacting with other debaters. Given there isn't even enough time during Worlds to fully discuss how to improve Worlds, there definitely isn't enough time to talk about how debate can improve the world we live in.

A few interested people, with the co-operation of Botswana Worlds and IDEA, are organizing the Worlds Debate Forum. It will take place immediately after Botswana Worlds, from the 4th to 7th of January and will be held at a hotel or resort close to the University of Botswana.

The World Debate Forum aims to bring together 3 distinct but related debate communities - the competitive debaters, debaters in advocacy and debaters in education - with the hope that together they will make each other and debate stronger.

The goal is not to run an academic conference and the emphasis is not on publications or journals. The idea is to make easy for people to share ideas, find other people who are interested in the same ideas. To dedicate time to solving problems and finding people who can help you solve problems.

You can also participate online, suggest topics for discussion and register for the forum at www.worlddebateforum.org. Go there now to find out more! Email questions to info@worlddebateforum.com.

EurOpen 2010

A final reminder - you only have until October 1st to register for the EurOpen 2010. The fee is 130 Euro per participant, for a week including not only great debates, but tours and time to explore Tubingen and Stuttgart.

The registration cap is 40 teams so don’t be late. More information on www.europen2010.com.

Announcement : Bickel & Brewer Cup

Calling all international debate teams:

The Bickel & Brewer Foundation and New York University invite you to participate in the 10th annual International Public Policy Forum - the only competition that gives high school students across the globe the opportunity to participate in written and oral debates on issues of public policy!

The IPPF is a free competition for public and private school students. Students compete for more than $50,000 in awards and prizes, and the chance to be one of the final eight teams invited on an all-expenses-paid trip to IPPF Finals Weekend in New York City!

Registration for the 2010-11 IPPF is currently underway. To register, visit www.bickelbrewer.com/ippf.

The registration deadline is October 13. Then begin writing your qualifying round essay on the topic, "Resolved: NATO military operations in Afghanistan are not justified." Essays can be written in the affirmative or the negative, and may be no more than 2,800 words in length.

Essays must be submitted to ippf@bickelbrewer.com by October 27.

The Essay Review Committee will select the top 32 teams. Those teams win cash prizes and immediately begin a single-elimination, written debate round. Teams volley papers back and forth via e-mail, with one team affirming the topic and the other negating it. Judges review the essays in the order they were received and vote for the winning team. This continues for several rounds until the final eight teams emerge.

The final eight teams win an all-expenses-paid trip to IPPF Finals Weekend in New York City for three students and two coaches. There, teams compete in oral debates in front of a prestigious panel of judges. The winning team takes home a $10,000 (USD) grand prize and the "Bickel & Brewer Cup".

Want to learn more? Visit www.bickelbrewer.com/ippf to register, view contest rules, a topic primer and more.

This is your chance to take on the world. Register today!

Feature: Changing Minds

Academia de Dezbateri (The Debate Academy) put The Economist, The European Voice, and Foreign Policy editorials under intense scrutiny, testing what difference public debate can create in the attitudes of an audience.

80 students took part in two online debate rounds and over 5000 visitors took part on the website. After an online debating selection round, the remaining students learned how to depict errors in international journals editorials, one of the primary sources of public information.

In two public debates held in Bucharest, students paired with civil society representatives to argue on two motions :

* New media empowers the citizens of a democracy

* It is justified to invoke tradition in conflicts involving the violation/infringement of civil rights.

“I learnt how to recognize context, premises, the main arguments and, more than anything, to see the sophisms, to de-construct and to reply to them.” said student Maria Tereza Antica. “Now I pay more attention to the articles’ sources and structures and feel more comfortable knowing how to read them.”

Using a voting system similar to that of Parliament, the audience was asked to vote for/against the motion prior and post-debate, to see what difference the exercise had made. Under the slogan “in arguments we trust”, see what a true public exchange of ideas can do: here and here.

“This is just the beginning” says Raluca Bogdan, from ARDOR. “From October 2010 to June 2011, ARDOR will multiply this pilot program fourfold. Students from Timisoara, Iasi, Cluj and Bucharest will debate online, be trained in critical reading procedures and provoke public debates.”

Check out the next Big Idea for more about the craze for online debate - not just in Romania but all over the world.

“The Debate Academy” (www.academiadedezbateri.ro), in partnership with Policy Center for Roma and Minorities, was financed by the European Commission through Youth in Action.

Competition: You’re The Judge

Nobody got the right answer to last week’s teaser! My thanks to those who tried and a slap on the wrist to the rest of you. Here it is again, with my explanation.


Q1: In a British Parliamentary debate, on This House Would Decriminalise Drugs, opening government defines the motion as “western countries should legalise all drugs”. Opening opposition challenges that definition, saying it is unfair because “decriminalise” and “legalise” don’t mean the same thing. Opening opposition takes the line that, rather than decriminalising drugs, governments should legalise drugs. In effect, both sides are arguing for the same policy.


A1: “While there is a difference between ‘decriminalise’ and ‘legalise’, it is a reasonable interpretation. The definition goes even further than the motion, which is the right side of the line on which to err. Opposition are wrong to challenge it, and doubly wrong to argue the line that government should legalise drugs. The judge should accept the definition.”


And now this week’s problem on extensions. Please send your answer to nhsemail@gmail.com. Fame awaits the best response as it will be printed in the next Big IDEA.


Q2: In a British Parliamentary debate, the first speaker of the closing government team is making her speech. She spends several minutes rebutting the opening opposition, then makes two new arguments to further the proposition.


After the debate, a fellow adjudicator says you should penalise her for failing to make an extension. You are forced to admit that she did not use the word “extension”. On that basis, he wants to demote the team from first to second.

You’re the judge - what should you do? who is right? why?

Debatewise - Debates of the week

Debates of the week

With our friends at Debatewise, we have set up some special Big IDEA debates just for you.

Two important upcoming dates in the UN calendar are October 1st, the International Day of Older Persons, and October 5th, World Teachers’ Day.

Inspired by these events, come and debate these motions:

• People Should Have The Right To Work Into Their Seventies.

• Teachers Should Have The Right To Punish Pupils Physically If The Parents Consent.
  

  

Together in Europe, addressing the needs of marginalized, migrant and minority youth

International Debate Education Association – in cooperation with the Open Society Foundations (Youth Initiative Program: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/youth ) is organizing a 2-day conference (19th -20th November 2010) in Rotterdam aiming at sharing of experiences and ideas about successful methodologies, programs and projects aimed at inclusion of marginalized, migrant and minority youth.
This is the first Conference of this type organized by IDEA and its partners and we are exploring a possibility of making it into an annual event, focusing on similar theme (s) and with time targeting new target groups and institutions (for example local governments, police, media, etc.)



Objectives of the Conference

• To provide opportunities for participants to share relevant experience and expertise from their youth work – with particular emphasis on successful programs and projects and best practices of engaging marginalized, migrant and minority youth;
• To provide short workshop experience in various methodologies – including successful Debate in Neighborhood Program (Debat in de Buurt);
• To brainstorm ideas for future cooperation between youth centered initiatives from across Europe and globally and to lay the foundations for developing a network of institutions, organizations and individuals interested in addressing the problems of marginalized, migrant and minority youth;

Participants

The conference is opened to educators (teachers, academics, etc.), youth and social workers, representatives of non-governmental organizations and community- based organizations and groups, youth organizations and youth leaders, representatives of local governments (particularly from departments addressing the problems of youth).
The Conference is opened to participants from the EU - we have already confirmation from participants from the following countries: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, Estonia, Lithuania, UK, the Netherlands.

Program

The conference will feature the following approaches and components:

a) presentations – show –casing of programs, projects and best practices – with participants of the Conference being encouraged to present as well as attend presentations;

b) workshops and short training sessions in selected methodologies;

c) plenary sessions and roundtables


For more information about the conference please contact Marcin Zaleski at mzaleski@idebate.org

World Bank Open Forum

On October 7-8, the world's financial leaders will be in Washington, D.C., discussing the most pressing issues in the wake of the financial crisis. You’re invited to join the conversation at the World Bank Open Forum, an online event featuring expert discussions, live video and a 24-hour chat-room on three key issues: free and open data, global job creation, and major development challenges.

Join the conversation at worldbank.org/openforum.

Watch the video:

2010 Macedonia Open invites debaters to participate in 8th annual tournament

The Macedonian Debate Association, part of the Youth Educational Forum (YEF), is proud to announce the annual international debate tournament “Macedonia Open.” The eighth happening of this wonderful debate experience will take place in the beautiful city of Ohrid, Macedonia between September 24th and 26th, 2010. This year’s resolution is the following: “Europe can achieve energy independence by 2020.”

Registration for the tournament is still open, so ensure your spot today! Register your team online at YEF’s official website and complete the application form on the following link: http://www.mof.org.mk/index.php?sodr=macedoniaopen. Remember, the number of teams is limited and there is a cap of two teams per country. The participation of a third team will be possible if additional places are available.

For further questions, contact the event coordinator, Katerina Vaskovska, at katerina_vaskovska@mof.org.mk.

Registration now open for IDEA-CAU Tournament in Korea

The 2010 IDEA-CAU Tournament, sponsored by the International Debate Education Association and Chung Ang University, will be held October 2-3, 2010 in Seoul, Korea. As of September 1st, registration for this tournament is now open!

The IDEA-CAU Tournament will be a pro-am British Parliamentary tournament, which means that at least one of the two members on a team should be an amateur debater. To qualify as an amateur debater, you cannot have broken at any tournaments including all international toiurnaments, KNC, KHSDC, KIDA mini-tournaments, and the ADI tournament. All composite teams can break, and you do not have to be a university student to register!

To register for this tournament, click here.

Register soon! This tournament will cap at 32 teams. For more information, email the tournament convener, Steve McCarthy at smccarthy@idebate.org. For tournament updates, visit the Idebate Korea website.

2010 WODC second round results official and third round wraps up

The second-annual World Online Debating Championship moved into the third round this week with eight teams facing off to progress in this international tournament. Each day this week, from Monday August 30th through Thursday September 2nd, featured a different pairing of teams including Macedonia vs. Greece, New Zealand vs. Botswana, Canada vs. India, and Czech Republic vs. Mongolia.

Congratulations to these eight teams who won their rounds from Monday August 16th through Thursday August 19th during the second round. To view these past debates and the progression of the WODC, click here.

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. For more information, visit the WODC website or WODC Facebook page.

Deadline to submit to next Idebate magazine extended to September 1st

Have any IDEA news? The deadline to submit your event stories for inclusion in the next issue of Idebate Magazine has been extended to September 1st.

Remember that everything in Idebate is submitted by readers, so we need your content. We want coverage of programs in your countries, accounts of IDEA events, or anything else you think other debaters would be interested in reading. Even if you’re short on time, you can at least send us a photo!

This is going to be a very exciting issue, as we look back on events such as Youth Forum, kick off programs like The Global Debates, and provide coverage from countries all over the world. You will even get the chance to read top-notch opinions and journalism pieces and written by debate and media students.

If you have any ideas or questions, or you would like to submit an article, email me at ipatkowski@sorosny.org.

If I haven’t heard from you yet, I hope to soon,

Isabel Patkowski
Idebate Guest Editor

International Committee of the Red Cross launches young reporter competition

In an effort to give young people a stronger voice concerning today's most pressing humanitarian issues – from mass displacement caused by war to the lifelong and devastating impact of landmines – the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is launching a global "young reporter" competition, aimed at enabling people between the ages of 18 and 25 to better understand how violence affects young lives and share their views on armed conflict with others.
Each of the four winners of the competition will be invited to travel to a country that has been affected by armed conflict – Georgia, Lebanon, Liberia or the Philippines – where they will be able to talk with other young people who have lived through fighting or suffered its consequences. Each will be hosted by an ICRC delegation and will have the opportunity to see activities run by the ICRC and/or the National Red Cross Society in the country concerned. In addition, the young reporters will receive coaching on writing about humanitarian issues from ICRC experts.

At the end of their week-long visit, each winner will be expected to produce a "story from the field," which will be presented at a special event next year in Geneva on World Red Cross Red Crescent Day, which takes place every year on May 8th.

To be eligible, applicants must have strong communication skills. They should be interested in youth issues, have a desire to do something that will have an effect on people's lives, and have done voluntary work related to social or humanitarian services. Aspiring young reporters must submit an article, photo essay or short video on a humanitarian challenge of their choice. Entries will be judged on the basis of editorial quality, originality and relevance. Candidates must be between the ages of 18 and 25, have a valid passport and should be available for travel in January or February 2011. Submissions are encouraged from young adults in all nations.

The deadline for submissions is October 1, 2010. The winners will be notified by November 1, 2010. For full entry details, please go to competition.

For further information, please contact Anna Nelson, ICRC Geneva, telephone: +41 79 217 3264.

National Debate Team of Romania shares their process of selection

The selection of the national debate is undoubtedly the most important event that a debater can attend. It takes place once or twice a year, with the purpose of selecting five team members to represent our country at the Worlds Schools Debate Championship.

For candidates to qualify for the selection, each is expected to send a researched document on a certain topic, a letter of intent and a CV. The files that the candidates send should contain information about themselves and why they would like to participate, as well a thorough analysis of a motion that is set roughly a week before the selection. This time, the motion was “This house believes that we should never negotiate with the leaders of Iran.”

The judges then narrow down the likely participates to 12, from which 5 will make up the chosen team. The candidates then compete against each other in several rounds of impromptu motions and are organized into randomly chosen teams A, B, C and D. Then, each team plays a match against each of the other ones, so in the end each team plays a total of three matches.

The two days of selection are full of emotion, tension, eagerness, frustration and even anger. But if you learn to bottle up these feelings, they will change into satisfaction and pride at the end, when you will hear your name called out among the winners! It takes some suffering to achieve satisfaction and that’s unarguably true, but I can promise you, it's worth it!

Theodora Dragan
Member of the Romania National Debate Team 2011

To read Theodora’s full description of the selection process of the Romania National Debate Team, click here.

2010 World Online Debating Championship progresses to second round

The second annual World Online Debating Championship is now underway! This week, sixteen teams from across the globe moved into the second round of the 2010 WODC as they debated several topics online.

Teams in the second round include USA 2 v Macedonia, Greece v Pakistan, Mexico v New Zealand, Australia v Botswana, Latvia v Canada, Colombia v India, Mongolia v Ghana and USA 1 v Czech Republic. Click on each team pair to view their debate.

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. For more information, visit the WODC website or Facebook page.

Complete list of Youth Forum winners released and 2011 location announced

Congratulations to all the winners at the 2010 IDEA Youth Forum tournaments! The full results, including tournament winners and best speaker awards, are listed here.

The champions of the Karl Popper Debate Championship are members of Team Lithuania, followed by the runner-up team from the UK. Also, congratulations to Steven Rajavinothan (UK), Jakub Langr (Desceptatio Incapax), and Daniel Bregman (UK), who won the top three KPDC best speaker awards.

The Mixed Team Track tournament was won by Mojmir Stehlik, Subhi Khoury, Bram Wasti and Alexander Bondarau from team Rh1nos. The best speaker award went to Diana Li (Team United), second place was awarded to Jihwan Chang (So Not Sarcastic team), and third place went to Emma Smith (Muffinsss team).


The British Parliamentary Tournament was won by Andrei Petre-Melinte and Ioan Nascu from Romania. The top three speakers of the tournament are Dovile from team Trotsky, Kaspar from team Trotsky, and Calin from team Lady and Tramp.


The Spirit Award, recognizing the participant that fostered a positive, encouraging and respectful spirit of the Youth Forum, was awarded to coach Radu Cotacea from Romania and debater Abdulkader Elyas from Botswana, with a special mention to Ethan Sheffield (USA).

From the Coaches and Judges Track, Mihail Fridman from Belarus was recognized for being proactive and involved and was ready to learn more at all times. From the International New Debaters track, Yordan Yordanov (Captain Jack’s team) was recognized as he ranked highest of all former IND track members in the Mixed Team Tournament best speaker results.

Also, the location of the 2011 Youth Forum has been announced! Next year’s forum will be held in Istanbul, Turkey July 19th - August 1st. For more information, visit the official Youth Forum website.

Register for the tenth annual International Public Policy Forum

The law firm of Bickel and Brewer and New York University proudly announce the tenth annual International Public Policy Forum (IPPF), the only contest that gives high school students across the globe the opportunity to participate in written and oral debates on issues of public policy.

This international contest is open to all public and private schools for free. High school teams compete for National Forensic League points and more than $50,000 in awards and scholarships. In addition, the top eight schools win all-expense-paid trips to the finals in New York City!

Interested in participating? Work with your debate coach or English teacher to organize your team. Go online to www.bickelbrewer.com/ippf to register your team before October 13, 2010. Then, your team will prepare a qualifying round essay on the 2010-11 IPPF topic, “Resolved: NATO military operations in Afghanistan are not justified.”

The top 32 teams all earn cash awards, and will be announced on November 10, 2010. These teams will then compete in elimination rounds until the competition is narrowed down to the final eight teams. These teams will win trips to the IPPF Finals April 8-10, 2011 in New York City. The winning team will take home a $10,000 grand prize ($5,000 for the school and $5,000 for team members) and the “Bickel and Brewer Cup.”

For more information, visit the IPPF website.

IDEA seeks Southeast Asia Program Coordinator

The International Debate Education Association (IDEA) announces an open call for applications for a local full-time position of Southeast Asia Program Coordinator. The position is based in Chiang Mai, Thailand and begins immediately.

Responsibilities
The Program Coordinator for this office will be based in Chaing Mai, Thailand, and responsible for:

• Managing a regional debate program
• Managing a grant-giving program called Youth Action Fund (Thailand)Organizing debate-related events
• Making site visits to set up local infrastructures for programs
• Coordinating debate workshops
• Supervising the development and translation of debate education materials into local languages
• Communicating with other IDEA offices and staff
• Assisting with additional events when necessary

Requirements

• Thai nationality
• Fluency in Thai (speaking and writing)
• Fluency in English (speaking and writing)
• Bachelor’s degree
• Strong public speaking skills
• Debate training experience strongly preferred
• Flexibility and willingness to travel on short notice
• Excellent communication, networking, and social skills
• Ability to work independently and in teams

Application Procedure
Interested candidates should send a cover letter and resume to Alisa Keetanitinun at akeetanitinun@idebate.org. We will begin considering a applications on 15 August 2010 and will until the position is filled.

IDEBATE Press releases first text in Spanish

This month, IDEBATE Press will release Tolerancia crítica y ciudadanía activa: una introducción práctica al debate educativo (Critical Tolerance and Active Citizenship: a Practical Introduction to Educational Debate), which offers educators a hands-on guide for implementing debate practices in classrooms and non-formal educational settings.

The work consists of a series of 15 sessions devoted to specific aspects of debating. Topics include: general characteristics of debate formats, public speaking, creating debate resolutions, argumentation, reasoning and fallacies, preparation of cases, taking notes, formulating questions, and judging debates.

Each session includes tips for facilitating introductory debate training and exercises to put learning into practice. The work includes activity and resource sheets for students as well as an appendix with a sample debate.

Tolerancia is available for pre-order on Amazon and will be available in the idebate.org store soon.

Contribute to the next idebate magazine

Hello readers!

It’s been a little over a week since the Youth Forum ended, which means that it’s time to put together IDEA’s semiannual publication, idebate.

I'm writing now to remind you that everything in idebate is submitted by readers, and that we need your content! Many of you who were at Youth Forum have submitted accounts of your time there. Please, please, please continue to do so (photos, embarrassing or otherwise, are welcome). However, we also want to make sure that we report on all the important events that occurred this year, and that we also have submissions from individuals who did not attend the Forum. Whether you want to share reflections on The Global Debates, an account of the World Online Debating Championship, or an update on debate in your home country, we want to hear about it. Most importantly, we want to share it with everyone else in IDEA.

But we need your contributions soon. Submissions for the next issue of idebate are due in a little over a week, on Sunday, August 22. If you have any questions or want to discuss ideas, you can email me at ipatkowski@sorosny.org. Also, if you’re a Youth Forum participant who would like to contribute but is worried about meeting the deadline, let me know, and you can participate in an exclusive interview (!) about your time there.

Please submit anything you would like to see in the magazine to the same email address, ipatkowski@sorosny.org.

I hope to hear from you soon!

Isabel Patkowski, idebate Guest Editor

Participants depart from the Netherlands as another successful Youth Forum concludes

This week, the sixteenth-annual IDEA Youth Forum came to a close in the Province of Zeeland in the Netherlands. On the evening of August 3rd, the 260 participants, which included debaters, coaches, and trainers, all said farewell to each other at the 2010 closing ceremony.

The 2010 Youth Forum began on July 22nd, and for the two and a half week duration of the event, students and educators developed their debating and public speaking skills through a series of classes about debate and this year’s forum debate topics. Debaters then utilized their new skills and knowledge to compete in debate tournaments. And, as another Youth Forum has concluded, the winners of this year’s tournaments have also been recorded in history.

The Karl Popper Debate Championship (KPDC) finals took place on Monday, July 26th, as debaters vigorously competed for the prestigious traveling KPDC trophy. The UK team on the affirmative and the team from Lithuania on the negative debated the topic, “In some cases juveniles should be tried as adults.” In the end, Lithuania won the debate, and took home the tournament trophy. Congratulations Lithuania! Click here to see the full results. Watch video coverage of the KPDC final debate here.

The Mixed Team Tournament (MTT) finals took place on the last day of the forum, which was followed immediately by the closing ceremony. The elimination for the Quarterfinals came down to four fun team pairings: MIBU vs. Muffinssss, So Not Sarcastic vs. UKAR, Team United vs. Kings, and USK vs. Rh1nos. These teams debated the topic, “Governments should preserve rural life.” Look for the finals results and video coverage of this tournament to be posted soon!

The 2010 IDEA Youth Forum was co-organized by the International Debate Education Association (IDEA) and Zeeland’s Institute for Social and Cultural Development (Scoop), in cooperation with the municipalities of Middelburg and Vlissingen, the Hogeschool Zeeland and the Roosevelt Academy. The forum is organized in a different country each year and since its first edition in 1995, it has provided an unforgettable educational experience to over 2,000 students from over 40 countries. For more information, visit the Youth Forum website.

Winner of the Debatabase survey announced this week!

Congratulations to the winner of the Debatabase survey drawing, a university student in China, who won a $50 giftcard to Amazon.com. And thank you to everyone who participated in the survey. Your input will help us improve Debatabase, making it more accessible and interactive.

More next week on the results of the survey!

Democrats vs. Republics, just one of the many topics on Debatepedia

For the past week, we’ve been working on the debate article, Democrats vs. Republicans. It’s pretty good, as in excellent. I’ll also be doing a couple of YouTube videos on this soon. As with every new topic on Debatepedia though, it could use further development, especially the introductory “background” section. Have a look, enjoy, give an edit and leave some feedback!

Also, have a look at the Debate Digest Cue to see some upcoming topics that we’ll be working on that currently have very little or no content. Topics on Debatepedia range from categories of politics, morality, law, economics, culture, the environment and more.

Debatepedia is the “the Wikipedia of pros and cons.” Its mission is to “clarify public debates and improve decision-making globally.” Debatepedia is a project of the International Debate Education Association (IDEA) and is also endorsed by the National Forensic League. It utilizes the same wiki technology powering Wikipedia to engage you and other citizen editors in clarifying public debates by centralizing them into a single pro/con encyclopedia.

~Brooks Lindsay, Founder of Debatepedia

First week of Youth Forum keeps participants busy with competition and activities

The 2010 IDEA Youth Forum in Zeeland has officially opened! We are happy to announce that all 275 participants from 42 countries arrived safe, sound, and bright eyed for their debates. A shout out to the Dutch Naval Facilities for putting up with a couple hundred unruly students and coaches.

The epic two weeks kicked off with Dutch-Zeeland culture night in the Naval Facilities. Following words of wisdom and warm wishes to enjoy by Veronika, participants were privy to a parade of traditional Dutch aesthetics in a traditional 19th century Dutch fashion show. As with any party, we munched on blocks of cheese, sausage, fried balls of potato stew (Bitterballen) and other traditional local products of the Netherlands.

Also adhering to tradition, the Karl Popper Debate Competition kicked off with its opening highlight: the demo debate (watch it here). This year, trainers from countries of Southeast Asia, Greece and South Africa soundly schooled the European team of trainers. Debating on the motion, “Parents should be allowed to pay for international adoptions,” the debaters engaged in a heated discussion of whether or not the current adoption system would be worsened or helped by adding payment for the child in various adoption steps. When asked, the last speaker on the negative side, Manos said, "yeah, I'd probably vote for the affirmative. But, you know, I haven't seen the debate".

On Friday July 23rd, the Karl Popper Debate Championship kicked off with the two rounds that dealt with the extended preparation motion which was, “Countries should ban the import of goods produced by child labor.” All teams debated both sides of the motion that was given to them in February. As a result of their preparation, the debaters used facts, research and statistics to make their arguments stronger. However, they were then required to debate the two limited preparation motions for which they had only 45 minutes to prepare. These were, “Teachers should be allowed to use physical force to discipline their children” and “Parliaments should reserve 10 percent of their seats for people under 30.” These motions were selected by the tournament motions committee led by the Chief Adjudicator Andrej Schulcz. After the first four rounds, teams debated the second extended preparation motion that was “In some cases, juveniles should be tried as adults.”

The debates were adjudicated by the trainers from the Youth Forum and the coaches of the participating teams. When asked what makes a successful tournament, Andrej told us that “the discussion between adjudicators and the exchange of opinions about our format, our expectations and our judging standards are the basis of a quality adjudication pool for every debating tournament, and I am very happy with the way our judges have performed their role in the preliminary rounds of the tournament”.

On Saturday July 24th, students and coaches kicked it in downtown Vlissingen in reward for their hard work. Some let their hair down at the amusement park, some braved the cold Dutch summer nights at the beach, and some just parked it at the bars.

If you are interested to see more, check out the picture section. If there are debates in progress you can watch them live via our livestream channel. To watch the videos later, go to the Blip TV channel to watch them later. You can follow the latest updates on IDEA Youth Forum by following the official hashtag #IYF10 or by becoming a fan of IDEA’s Facebook page.

Last of all - the suspense is off now - the 2010 Youth Forum theme song is the notoriously known Captain Jack by Captain Jack! Stay tuned for stories from the first night out in the next newsletter...

~Organizational Committee of the 2010 IDEA Youth Forum in Zeeland

The 2010 IDEA Youth Forum kicks off this week in the Netherlands!

IDEA’s biggest event of the year, the Youth Forum, kicked off yesterday July 22nd in the Province of Zeeland in the Netherlands! Approximately 260 debaters, coaches and trainers arrived in Zeeland from across the globe for two weeks of debate classes, competition and of course, lots of fun!

Participants traveled to the 16th annual IDEA Youth Forum from 38 different countries including Argentina, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Laos, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, The Netherlands, Palestinian Territory, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, South Africa, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom, USA and Zimbabwe.

At the Youth Forum, students and educators will develop their debating and public speaking skills through a series of classes about debate and the content of this year’s forum debate topics. Debaters will utilize their new skills and knowledge to compete in three debate tournaments at the Youth Forum.

The forum will begin with participants engaging in either the International New Debaters Track or the Karl Popper Debate Championship (KPDC), which will conclude with the KPDC Grand Finale in Middelburg on July 26th. The forum will then continue with several tracks that offer trainings in different debate levels and techniques. These small group training sessions include the Mixed Teams Track, the British Parliamentary Debate Track, the Coaches and Judges Track and the English as a Foreign Language Track. The forum will conclude on August 4th with the Mixed Team Track Finals and the British Parliamentary Finals.

The theme for this year’s Karl Popper Debate Championship will feature youth issues and is divided into two motions. The first motion is "Countries should ban the import of goods produced by child labor," and the second motion is "In some cases juveniles should be tried as adults." The theme for the Mixed Team Tournament will focus on migration and the motion will be "Government should preserve rural life."

The 2010 IDEA Youth Forum is co-organized by the International Debate Education Association (IDEA) and Zeeland’s Institute for Social and Cultural Development (Scoop), in cooperation with the municipalities of Middelburg and Vlissingen, the Hogeschool Zeeland and the Roosevelt Academy. The forum is organized in a different country each year and since its first edition in 1995, it has provided an unforgettable educational experience to over 2,000 students from over 40 countries. For more information, visit the Youth Forum website.

Teaching opportunities immediately available in Vietnam and South Korea

The International Debate Education Association (IDEA) is recruiting for new debate trainers to fill positions immediately with the Korea Poly School (KPS) in Seoul, South Korea and a new campus in Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam. These positions will begin in September, but with a lengthy visa process, applicants must apply as soon as possible!

KPS is seeking Canadian or U.S. citizens to teach debate to elementary and/or middle school students for at least one academic year. Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree and be willing to work in Korea for one academic year. The ideal candidate will also be comfortable working in an international educational environment and will have some experience doing so. Click here to learn more about KPS.

While IDEA is assisting KPS in recruiting trainers, as well as providing technical support to them, the instructors will be KPS employees. IDEA will, however, provide pre-departure orientation as well as teaching and curriculum materials.

Duties
The debate instructor shall perform the following duties:
1. Plan and conduct debate and argumentation classes in levels assigned by employer;
2. Conduct a small number of classes in subjects outside of debate with provided teaching materials;
3. Assist with and participate in activities related to the instructional programs of employer, including, but not limited to, departmental meetings, general faculty meetings, and special presentations and events;
4. Assist employer in organizing debate clubs at KPS schools;
5. Assist employer in facilitating KPS debate events;
6. Assist employer with out-of-classroom activities related to the regular curriculum of employer, including, but not limited to, field trips and school-wide assemblies, as well as other extracurricular activities;
7. Assist with the development of teaching materials, supplementary materials, tests, evaluations, and other programs related to English language teaching;
8. Assist or conduct teacher training in debate for new DIs under the direction of employer;
9. Assist, monitor, and supervise DIs in their teaching methodology and implementation, and classroom conduct under the direction of employer; and
10. Perform other duties as designated by employer.

Compensation and Benefits
Compensation and benefits are outlined below:
1. Free furnished single housing (rent is paid for, but utilities and maintenance fees will be the trainers' responsibilities);
2. Free round trip airfare;
3. Contract completion bonus (severance pay) after one year;
4. 50% of national health insurance paid for by the school;
5. 50% of national pension premiums paid for by the school (they will also be eligible to petition for their pension refund from the Korean pension board before departing the country);
6. Monthly salary - 3.1 million Korean Won (roughly 3,000 US Dollars).

Applications should include a current CV, a cover letter, and the contact information of two references. Please send your application as soon as possible to Lin Lu, llu@idebate.org. IDEA will accept applications until the position is filled.

Tenth annual International Public Policy Forum topic and competition dates announced

The law firm of Bickel and Brewer and New York University proudly announce the 10th annual International Public Policy Forum (IPPF), the only contest that gives high school students across the globe the opportunity to participate in written and oral debates on issues of public policy.

This international contest is open to all public and private schools for free. High school teams compete for National Forensic League points and more than $50,000 in awards and scholarships. In addition, the top eight schools win all-expense-paid trips to the finals in New York City!

Interested in participating? Work with your debate coach or English teacher to organize your team. Go online to www.bickelbrewer.com/ippf to register your team before October 13, 2010. Then, your team will prepare a qualifying round essay on the 2010-11 IPPF topic, “Resolved: NATO military operations in Afghanistan are not justified.”

The top 32 teams all earn cash awards, and will be announced on November 10, 2010. These teams will then compete in elimination rounds until the competition is narrowed down to the final eight teams. These teams will win trips to the IPPF Finals April 8-10, 2011 in New York City. The winning team will take home a $10,000 grand prize ($5,000 for the school and $5,000 for team members) and the “Bickel and Brewer Cup.”

For more information, visit the IPPF website.

Media now available from China Advocacy Institute

If you missed out on all the action at the IDEA Advocacy Institute in China, you can still check out the many new photos from the event that are now posted on the IDEA Flickr page.



Hosted by IDEA, Willamette University, and Xiamen University, the Advocacy Institute was a two and a half week program that took place from June 7th to 23rd in the city of Xiamen, in the Fujian Province of China. Participants came from around the globe, including Indonesia, Nepal, Malaysia, China, Jamaica, Nigeria, Ghana, Mongolia, South Africa, and other countries!


For more information on the China Advocacy Institute, click here.

EUDC livestream

Teaching opportunities in Vietnam and South Korea for US and Canadian citizens

The International Debate Education Association (IDEA) is currently recruiting for new debate trainers with the Korea Poly School (KPS) in South Korea and a new campus in Vietnam. KPS is seeking Canadian or U.S. citizens to teach debate to elementary and/or middle school students for at least one academic year.

Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree and be willing to work in Korea for one academic year. The ideal candidate will also be comfortable working in an international educational environment and will have some experience doing so. Click here to learn more about KPS.

While IDEA is assisting KPS in recruiting trainers, as well as providing technical support to them, the instructors will be KPS employees. IDEA will, however, provide pre-departure orientation as well as teaching and curriculum materials.

Duties
The debate instructor shall perform the following duties:
1. Plan and conduct debate and argumentation classes in levels assigned by employer;
2. Conduct a small number of classes in subjects outside of debate with provided teaching materials;
3. Assist with and participate in activities related to the instructional programs of employer, including, but not limited to, departmental meetings, general faculty meetings, and special presentations and events;
4. Assist employer in organizing debate clubs at KPS schools;
5. Assist employer in facilitating KPS debate events;
6. Assist employer with out-of-classroom activities related to the regular curriculum of employer, including, but not limited to, field trips and school-wide assemblies, as well as other extracurricular activities;
7. Assist with the development of teaching materials, supplementary materials, tests, evaluations, and other programs related to English language teaching;
8. Assist or conduct teacher training in debate for new DIs under the direction of employer;
9. Assist, monitor, and supervise DIs in their teaching methodology and implementation, and classroom conduct under the direction of employer; and
10. Perform other duties as designated by employer.

Compensation and Benefits
Compensation and benefits are yet to be determined but will be similar to the debate instructor position in Korea, which are outlined below:
1. Free furnished single housing (rent is paid for, but utilities and maintenance fees will be the trainers' responsibilities);
2. Free roundtrip airfare;
3. Contract completion bonus (severance pay) after one year;
4. 50% of national health insurance paid for by the school;
5. 50% of national pension premiums paid for by the school (they will also be eligible to petition for their pension refund from the Korean pension board before departing the country);
6. Monthly salary - 3.1 million Korean Won (roughly 3,000 US Dollars).

Applications should include a current CV, a cover letter, and the contact information of two references. Please send your application to Lin Lu, llu@idebate.org, immediately. We will accept applications until the position is filled. Selection is dependent on applicant's ability to qualify for a Vietnamese-issued work visa.

Help improve Debatabase and you could win $50 on Amazon.com!

Throughout the month of July, IDEA is encouraging users of Debatabase, a database of hundreds of debate topics, to participate in a quick survey. Participants of the survey will help improve the debate website and best of all, will be entered in a $50 Amazon.com giftcard drawing! But hurry, the deadline to participate in this survey is July 31, 2010.

Click here to take the survey now.

Debatabase is a high-quality topic research resource highlighting the major pros and cons of many global issues. This resource helps users find arguments for and against hundreds of debating topics written by expert debaters, judges and coaches. Also included are background summaries, links to websites of interest and recommended books, examples of motions and comments. To check it out, go to idebate.org/debatabase.

Registration deadline approaching for World Youth Model Congress 2010

Attention middle school and high school students! The registration deadline is nearing for the World Youth Model Congress 2010, the one and only model congress conference that accurately replicates the actual U.S. Congress system in Korea. The regular registration deadline is July 17th, and late registration will continue until July 20th. The WYMC 2010 will take place August 6-8, 2010 in the COEX Convention and Exhibition Center in South Korea.

At the WYMC, participants will experience U.S. Congress with utmost similarity and approximation, and will debate with prominent participants and student officers on diverse current issues. In addition, the conference will also offer a college info session, during which participants will meet with students from prestigious universities such as Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Stanford, MIT, and more.

Each conference participant will receive a certificate of participation under the names of the WYMC Association and other conference sponsors. Conference winners will have the opportunity to participate in the PENN Model Conference as representatives of the WYMC.

The WYMC is a formal conference organized by the World Youth Model Congress Association, a non-profit organization composed of high school students and promotes debate education both domestically and internationally. The conference is sponsored by the US Embassy- Seoul, The Korea Foundation, Deloitte, Korea Polyschool, and PENNMC. For more information on the WYMC, click here.

The results are in for the IDEA/NJFL National Middle School Tournament

The eleventh annual National Middle School Forensics Tournament was held June 25-27, 2010, at Dowling Catholic High School, Callanan Middle School, and Merrill Middle School in Des Moines, Iowa, and was co-sponsored by the International Debate Education Association (IDEA) and the National Junior Forensic League (NJFL). Attending the tournament were more than 450 students from 45 schools spanning 20 states and the territory of Saipan. Those students constituted more than 600 entries across a dozen speech and debate events.

Earning School of Excellence awards for holistic squad performance were Sidney Lanier Middle School (Houston, TX), Northwest Junior High School (Coralville, IA) and Clay Middle School (Carmel, IN). Earning School of Excellence awards for performance in debate were Sidney Lanier Middle School, Capitol Debate (Woodstock, MD), Kugnus ACTS (Closter, NJ), The Harker School (San Jose, CA), and The Kincaid School (Houston, TX). Earning School of Excellence awards for performance in speech events were Sidney Lanier Middle School, Ockerman Middle School (Florence, KY), The Pike School (Andover, MA), Milton Academy (Milton, MA), and Rowan County MS (Morehead, KY).

Champion students in each of the events included:
Policy Debate: Devansh Srivastura and Michael Koo, Capitol Debate, MD
Congressional Debate: Peter Oathout, Sidney Lanier Middle School, TX
Lincoln Douglas Debate: Naomi Whitney-Hirschmann, St. Louis Park, MN
Public Forum (Co-Champions): Ardash Battu, Arjun Kumar, Claudia Tischler, and Shilpa Yarlgadda, The Harker School, CA
Prose: Claire Russell, Milton Academy Middle School, MA
Poetry: Bridget Kim, Rowan County Middle School, KY
Humorous Interpretation: Scott Diekema, Northwest Junior High School, IA
Dramatic Interpretation: Caroline Ford, Sky Academy, KY
Impromptu: Sarah Muse, Milton Academy Middle School, MA
Extemporaneous Speaking: Gregory Ross, Sidney Lanier Middle School, TX
Original Oratory: Caroline Ford, Sky Academy, KY
Duo Interpretation: Bobby Turnbough and Nicole Hickok, Raymore-Peculiar Middle School, MO
Declamation: Willow Curry, Sidney Lanier Middle School, TX

Click here for a full results packet. Next year’s tournament will be held in Dallas, Texas. Stay tuned for more information on dates and specific details.

The tournament received generous assistance from Brent Hinkle of The Joy of Tournaments registration and tab room management software.

The NJFL was founded by the National Forensic League in 1995 to extend speech and debate opportunities to students in grades 6-8. Upon enrollment at an NFL member high school, students can convert a fraction of junior merit points earned for speaking activities to high school points toward advanced levels of NFL membership. This creates a great feeder program for high schools, and motivation for students to participate more.

~Story from National Forensic League

New publication of Controversia has arrived!

The new issue of Controversia, Volume 7 Issue 1, is now available for purchase! Controversia is a refereed, interdisciplinary journal that explores the nexus of communication and politics and seeks to stimulate reflection on the role of dialogue and debate in fostering participatory governance in both emerging and established democracies.

In this issue, topics include political discourse, parliamentary debate, pragmatic argumentation, and more. To read summaries of all the articles, click here. Find this book, more issues of Controversia, and other publications at our online store.

Help improve Debatabase and you could win $50 on Amazon.com!

Throughout the month of July, IDEA is encouraging users of Debatabase, a database of hundreds of debate topics, to participate in a quick survey. Participants of the survey will help improve the debate website and best of all, will be entered in a $50 Amazon.com giftcard drawing! But hurry, the deadline to participate in this survey is July 31, 2010.

Click here to take the survey now.

Debatabase is a high-quality topic research resource highlighting the major pros and cons of many global issues. This resource helps users find arguments for and against hundreds of debating topics written by expert debaters, judges and coaches. Also included are background summaries, links to websites of interest and recommended books, examples of motions and comments. To check it out, go to idebate.org/debatabase.

Call for extra judges for 2010 IDEA Youth Forum

The 2010 IDEA Youth Forum is looking for extra judges, who would be able to judge at the IDEA Karl Popper Debate Championship taking place in Vlissingen, the Netherlands from July 22-27, 2010. Currently we have 52 teams and would need about 7 more judges, to ensure high quality judging!

We will cover your participation fee (your accommodation, food, insurance), so all you need to do, is to get to Vlissingen train station and judge at the KPDC. We might ask a few of you to serve as a coach for a team that does not have their own coach. For more information and conditions, please see below and please contact Veronika Vlckova, the Youth Forum Director ASAP!

If you are interested please send your CV, highlighting your debate judging experience and briefly answer a few questions below to give us a better picture:

How long have you been debating and how long have you been judging? Please specify how many tournaments a year have you attended (please specify this separately for judging and debating)? How many rounds do these tournaments have? What is their size? Are they local, national or international? What is the official language used at the tournament? Have you received any awards (individual or team achievements)?

How many international competitions have you attended in the last 3 years? Please list them and specify your role.

Have you been coaching a debate club? If yes, for how long? Please include how often you meet and your areas of concentration (preparation for competitions, current events, topics, debate methodology).

Contact Veronika Vlckova as soon as possible! The spots might be gone by the end of weekend!