All 32 London boroughs represented in the 3rd annual London Debate Challenge Finals Day

All 32 London Boroughs were represented in the third London Debate Challenge Finals Day in June at the Maritime Campus at Greenwich University. It was the last Finals Day of the three year programme. Each borough was represented in the competition by a team of four students, aged 12-14, the majority of whom had qualified for the final by winning a debate competition in their borough.

During the day each team debated three times and the two teams with the highest scores went through to the final. The two finalists were Brent and Hounslow. In front of the other competitors and representatives from London Debate Challenge sponsors Coca-Cola, Tesco, the Sir John Cass Foundation and The London Challenge, they debated the motion ‘This House believes the government should allow the police unlimited power to combat terrorism’.

While the judges deliberated, Deputy Chairman of the ESU, Edward Gould, praised the quality of the debate, and the programme in general for giving students skills that will benefit them in later life. The judging panel were Tim Green, LDC Borough Co-ordinator for Bromley, twice World Schools debating finalist Sarah Monroe from the ESU Centre for Speech and Debate and Michael Ehioze-Ediae, an LDC mentor who has tutored students in borough debate workshops over the last three years. The panel came to the decision that the Hounslow team from The Heathland School were the winners. They received a digital video camera donated by LDC sponsor Coca-Cola, globes and free places at Debate Academy, the ESU’s residential debate weekend in July.

The ESU would like to thank the sponsors of the London Debate Challenge for their support over the last three years.

posted by Harold Raitt @ 4:28 PM |