ESU staff on faculty of World Debate Institute in Vermont
Harold Raitt, the ESU's Debates and Education Officer, is teaching for two weeks at the
World Debate Institute in Burlington, Vermont, USA. Harold is on the faculty for the Parliamentary Debate programme for University students, which mainly focusses on the American Parliamentary Debate format, but will also introduce students to the delights of British Parliamentary debate. He is also looking forward to observing the Policy Debate programme, where US students are preparing to debate China for an entire academic year in a format which is radically different from anything used over on this side of the Atlantic. Full information on the full range of different debate formats is part of the expansion plan for the new site here at BD.com.
Debate workshop in Wandsworth
Staff and mentors from the ESU's Centre for Speech and Debate are delivering a day-long debate workshop to secondary school students in the London Borough of Wandsworth today. The teaching forms part of a three-day politics workshop arranged by the Local Education Authority, and it is hoped that debate will play an important role in the study and discussion of political issues, and in citizenship lessons, in the students' schools.
The workshop forms part of the
ESU London Debate Challenge.
"My BD": Calendar login
Regular users of this website should take note of a change to our events calendar: to post events you now need to be a registered user of
My BD. Once you're logged in, you will not only be able to submit events for inclusion on our calendar but also edit your old events, upload tabs and registration information, etc.
If you notice any gremlins, or have suggestions on other facilities we might add, please
let us know.
British Debate blog launched
Welcome to the BritishDebate.com blog - an online news and diary facility which we'll use to post site updates, important results, ESU announcements and well, anything we feel like.
We might resurrect an old service of this website - reports from tournaments, submitted by willing journalists. If you'd be interested in writing a couple of paragraphs on a debate tournament you'll be attending next year,
let us know.
Otherwise hope you enjoy the new-look BritishDebate.com!
ESU Debate Academy wraps up
The ESU's summer camp for schools debating, Debate Academy V, finished today. Over 130 secondary school students and teachers spent a long weekend at Oakham School in Rutlandshire taking part in theory lessons and practice debates covering a range of different debate formats and topics. Teaching was carried out by staff from the ESU Centre for Speech and Debate, and by experienced debaters and coaches who volunteer their time. This year our faculty included the coaches of the English, Irish and Scottish national teams, winners of the ESU Schools Mace, adjudicators at the World Schools Debating Championships, and ESU London Debate Challenge mentors, as well as successful schools coaches. As well as debate, activities included a quiz, film showings, and lectures on economics, law, science and US foriegn policy.
