With the last stage of the competition in Brussels (Belgium) and the international final conference, streamed live from Brussels and Riga (Latvia), the Erasmus + program project Debate Your Issue (DYI) has reached its end. The conference presented an overview of the project, its progress, lessons learned, as well as related topics such as civic activism, self-expression, critical thinking, youth work and the role of debate in promoting the above. The conference recording is available HERE.
The project Debate Your Issue started in March 2020, more than 300 young people from Belgium, Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Serbia applied, 150 were admitted and trained in the art of debate for more than six months. Due to the global pandemic, most of the training took place remotely, but thanks to vaccination, the debate tournament was possible in person.
“The basic idea of the project was to use experiences and methods, gained in various projects in the past, to create a new engaging platform for young Europeans. It’s goal – to develop a community which brings young people together with local and international lecturers, opinion leaders and political decision makers in order to cultivate skills to formulate, express and defend their (youth’s) views, as well as to
increase knowledge of various European socio-political issues. As a representative of the project management centre – the Goethe-Institut – I can say that I am really proud of the end result! The project’s concept both showed great flexibility on formats (digital trainings, hybrid debates, and finally international physical meetings) and opened various possibilities to act – research, debate, publish. This is a very important contribution to the development and strengthening of the new generation of the European Community,” says Ingrid Arnold, Goethe-Institut Prague, Director Information Services Central Eastern Europe.
Photo galleries from debate competitions can be found HERE.
Articles, infographics, videos, podcasts and other materials made by the DYI participants on different social and political questions can be found HERE.
For more information on the project, please visit: debateyourissue.eu or DYI social media accounts on: YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
Project partners: Mediawijs (Flemish Digital and Media Literacy Centre, Belgium), Goethe-Institut Czech Republic, National Library of Latvia, Lithuanian International Association of Youth Debate Alumni Jaunimo Debatai, Kolegium Europy Wschodniej (Eastern European College, Poland), Novo Kulturno Naselje (New Cultural Society, Serbia).
The project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
Additional information and media inquiries:
E-mail: info@debateyourissue.eu
