Youth debate competition fosters critical thinking and flexible learning

On May 30, the Open Society Foundations – Armenia organized a youth debate competition in Yerevan as part of the Armenia Debate Program. Six debate clubs participated, hailing from Yerevan and the regions. The teams were well prepared which both delighted the judges and made their task extremely difficult. ArmBrain, a team from Metsamor School No. 1, won the competition, followed by Aratta, from Yerevan.

The topics encompassed such themes as corruption, education, death penalty, and economic development versus environmental destruction. As a student from Aratta mentioned, the competition was tense and aggressive, but the participants learned a lot and enjoyed meeting their peers from other schools.

 The teams were well prepared which both delighted the judges and made their task extremely difficult.

The teams were well prepared which both delighted the judges and made their task extremely difficult.

Following the competition, there was a training session for coaches and students. Russian trainers affiliated with IDEA (International Debate Education Association) held exercises that helped strengthen specific skills, including preparing for a debate, building a case, and selecting a rebuttal strategy. The debate competition was a great success and is planned to be a recurrent event.

The Armenia Debate Program was initiated by OSF – Armenia, with the support of the Open Society Youth Initiative. The program aims to engage youth in critical, reasoned discussion about issues important to their lives and communities. It seeks to foster the practice of debate as a flexible learning tool within schools, youth clubs, community centers and NGOs actively working with youth.

 

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