Romania will host, on February 21 and 22, the international debating tournament for high school students “Cambridge Union Schools”. It is the first time that a tournament organized under the Cambridge license takes place in our country. The four winners will go to the final which will be held at the prestigious university in Great Britain.
How the competition will be conducted
The debate tournament will take place at the “George Coșbuc” Bilingual National College in Bucharest. 48 teams will participate, a total of 96 students, from 32 high schools and 13 cities in the country. The competition will be held entirely in English, in the university British Parliamentary format. Each debate involves four teams of two speakers each, the topics will be announced on the spot. The students will have only 15 minutes of preparation, without access to phones or the Internet. The themes concern current topics in international politics, economy, European affairs or society, themes similar to those debated in the international press and in the great universities of the world, say the organizers.
The arbitration will be ensured by a team of Romanians with experience in the British Parliamentary format, including former national champions and competitors with international results.
“Being able to articulate a spontaneous argument, in front of a room, contributes a lot to a student’s self-esteem. It gives you a confirmation that you can stand on your own two feet. So does the process of a competition: you lose, you get back on your feet and start again, again and again. It’s an exercise in determination, something that becomes useful after the first rejection at work or after the first delay in college. Already when it happens, you have the exercise to start over with courage”, says Ana Coman, the coordinator of the jury in Romania and former champion in debate competitions.
The winners will go to the final in Cambridge
The top two teams of two high school students will advance to the grand final in Cambridge, UK, on March 21 at the Cambridge Union Hall.
There, Romanian students will debate alongside the winners of tournaments organized in Great Britain, but also in Australia, North America, Asia and Africa. Finals Day will bring together the best teams from around the world circuit and decide the winning team of the season.
The event will have a great historical charge, because personalities such as the Dalai Lama, American presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan, Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking or British prime ministers such as Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and John Major have debated in Cambridge Union Hall – the largest society within Cambridge University – over time.
What the organizers say
The tournament is organized in Romania under the license of the Cambridge Debating Union by Better Speakers and ARDOR (the Romanian Debate, Oratory and Rhetoric Association).
“It is a dream come true to bring this prestigious tournament to Romania. For a high school student from Romania, to speak from the same desk from which the Dalai Lama or Winston Churchill spoke is something absolutely unique. It’s not just a competition, it’s an experience that can change your academic trajectory”, says Victor-Emanuel Beteringhe, founder of Better Speakers.
“The fact that Romania officially enters the Cambridge Union circuit is a sign of maturity for the debating movement here. We are convinced that Romanian high school students can perform at the highest level”adds Mădălin Guruianu, president of ARDOR.
