Friday 29 March 2024

Eight teams take part in ESU Malta’s Debating Academy 2016

Participants in the English-Speaking Union of Malta’s Debating Academy doubled last year’s numbers as eight teams of Sixth Formers went head to head in a knock-out format, gaining valuable skills and lifetime memories in the process.
At the end of seven interesting, high-energy debates, the team from St Aloysius College called Tal Pepe, composed of Steven Bajada, Ibtihal Alouzi and Megan Maistre Melillo, was declared the winner. They will now proceed to take part in a debate with VIPs, MEPS or MPs, after the summer.
The academy included two days of intensive interactive workshops, tutorials and trial debates led by Pia Zammit, ESU Malta’s Director of Education, and Philip Leone Ganado, an ESU Malta Board member. Participants honed their skills in a Balloon Debate and a Parliamentary-Style Debate, the preferred debating style of the ESU to conduct its competitive debates.
Din l-art Ħelwa kindly hosted the entire event at its premises in Valletta, including the final day of debates taking in all they had learnt, including how to rebut, how to raise questions in Points of Information and how to correctly format their arguments.
Motions debated included: This House would outlaw all forms of animal hunting, This House believes that performance enhancing drugs should be allowed in competitive sports, This House believes single-sex schools are good for education and This House Believes Terrorism can be justified.
Ms Zammit said: “There was increased interest from the students from many local Sixth Forms, with some of the participants in our Public Speaking Competition also joining us for this Debating Academy, so they gained a double benefit.”
She thanked all the volunteers who helped out on the final day, including ESU Malta Board members and a number of volunteers: Edward Caruana Galizia, Jean Bonnici, Charlotte Stafrace, Giuliana Barbaro Sant, Rebecca Sciberras, Vanja Vila Vajagic, Dayna Clarke and Luca Mule Stagno. This enabled the debates to be held simultaneously in multiple locations, although finding a winner was still a tough ask.

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