This Blog has now moved to idebate.org/worlddebating - all future posts will be made there!

13 April 2012

The IPPF Finals live online

LIVE From New York...
The IPPF Finals
 
By the end of tomorrow, there will be a new "IPPF World Champion!"

On Saturday, you can watch as the "Elite Eight" teams in the 11th Annual Bickel & Brewer/New York University International Public Policy Forum (IPPF) compete in oral debates in New York City.
Simply visit www.bickelbrewer.com/ippf to see the following events LIVE!

IPPF Finals LIVE Viewing Schedule:

Saturday, April 14
Semifinal #1 - 10:15 a.m. ET
Semifinal #2 - 11:45 p.m. ET
Final Debate - 3:30 p.m. ET
Awards Ceremony - 8 p.m. ET
During the Final Debate, you can vote online for the winning team! Your vote will help decide which team takes home the $10,000 grand prize!
The 2011-12 IPPF
"Elite Eight"
 



Brooklyn Technical High School
Brooklyn, New York

Lakewood High School
Lakewood, Colorado

Notre Dame High School
Sherman Oaks, California

Peak to Peak Charter School
Lafayette, Colorado

St. Mark's School of Texas
Dallas, Texas

Team Czech Republic
Prague, Czech Republic

Team Singapore
Singapore

The Home Educator's Outsourcing Solution
Plano, Texas

12 April 2012

La Verne 100 Years Debate Tournament


Recently, the University of La Verne held its 1st Annual 100 Years Debate Tournament. Rob Ruiz, the Director of Forensics at the University of La Verne, wanted to create a tournament that would carry a tradition for 100 years with a unique twist on the implementation as well as granting much of the logistical powers to ULV students. The CA who came up with the motions and carried out the majority of the functions for tournament was Ari Lamb. Will Reilley was the Tab Director for the 20 team tournament. This was the first tournament Ari has been a CA as well as Will tabbing, and they both did an amazing job.

            The twist at this tournament that will last for the next 99 years was mirrored from the AustralAsian style of debate. Each of the 5 preliminary rounds had TWO motions based on a theme. The rooms were announced and the respective teams had to find each team that were in their respective rooms. The CA announced two motions and the four teams voted on the motion they wanted to debate. If there was a tie, the Opening Government had tie-breaking authority and the round would debate that particular motion. In order to best prepare for finding the teams and then vote on a motion, prep time was 20 minutes long. There were 4 preliminary rounds on Saturday, one preliminary round on Sunday, and then a break to Semis and then to Finals. All break rounds also had two motions. The feedback was extraordinaire. The tournament was a fun, relaxing time, with top competition to prepare for US NATS.

            The trophy was built by ULV alumni and participant in the tournament, Nick McGrail. The trophy is large enough to carry 100 plaques that will include the names of those who made the Final, the year it was held, and the Winning Team names. At the end of the 100 years, the University or College that wins the tournament will be able to keep this historic piece of artwork.

The top 5 Speakers of the tournament were:
1.      JJ Rodriguez
2.      Rob Ruiz
3.      Emily Ravenscroft
4.      Ryan Mansell
5.      Thomas Allison

The Finals included:

Opening Government: The Vagina Monologues (Ryan Mansell & Corey Teter)
Opening Opposition: WTFWJD? (Josh Martin & Carl Decker)
Closing Government: Old Hacks for Sack (JJ Rodriguez & Ernie Minner)
Closing Opposition: Lubed by Liquor (Emily Ravenscroft and Rob Ruiz)

Winners: Lubed by Liquid (Emily Ravenscroft and Rob Ruiz)

 Judging Panel: Chair: Ari Lamb
 Panelists: Ian Lising, Tanya Alsheikh, Nikkia Williams, Will Reilley, Dafne  Gokcen,  Mica Anderson,
                                                           

Final Motion (Chosen): THW teach Fetish Classes in High School
                             Other:   THBT Sex Ed should broaden its teaching to pleasure.

Semis: (Chosen): THW allow for gay adoption
             (Chosen): THBT transgendered individuals should be able to participate in
                                beauty pageants.
Preliminaries:

Round 1: THBT the EU should have a standing army
               TH supports sending aid to North Korea

Round 2: THW drill in National Parks
                THW release animals back into their natural habitat

Round 3: THW require zombie apocalypse training for the military
                 THW force all superheroes to register their true identity to the
                  Government

Round 4: THW rescue child soldiers
                 THW use death row inmates for medical testing

Round 5: THW encourage the creation of Islamic Courts inside the United States
                 TH supports the military burning of the Koran in Afghanistan

Video of Colgate IV Final

From John Adams:




Berlin Worlds list of allocations

 
We have now allocated 380 team slots to 380 institutions. During the next days we are going to post further information concerning payment and adjudicators.


Traditionally,institutions move up very quickly on Worlds waiting lists. Particularly afterthe first payment deadline on May 22nd we expect to see a lot of movement.

If you have any questions, please email our Participant Affairs Officers John and Dessislava.

9 April 2012

Update on debating in Ghana.‏

Hi Debate Community,
 
 I'm please to contact you. I mail you on behalf of Debate Ghana Association as it hope to establish ties with an experience Institution like your  Society. the Association is committed to youth development in Ghana through debate education by granting them "intellectual freedom beyond limits". It is poised to develop the youth of Ghana through debate and public speak and hope our Organisation could partner with your to help young talents grow in this arts and be a player on the continent. we are yet to engage in international partnership to help our students get experience  especially at Pan. The interest of Ghanaian students postulates us to seek such a parnership and be part of such community.
 
To tell you briefly about the Association is:
 
The Association is set up under the Laws of Ghana as an NGO and is an Educational Honor Society poised to wholly promote amongst Ghanaian debate and literary arts in order to create the platform for ‘‘consolidating the voice of the youth through intellectual freedom’’ and a proud member of West African Debate Board  The organization is based in Accra Ghana and its mission is to creates and supports an extended community of established schools, institutions or individuals by providing literary arts education as well as nurture, cultivate and grow the community of debate practitioners, including students, coaches, judges, teachers, and organizations to foster a healthy climate for student debate in Ghana since 2010.
 
Mentorship Conferences (started in 2010), a yearly programme that brings youth and high achievers together, have so far attracted over 1,000 youth. The 2011 event is scheduled for October, and it is expected to attract over 1,000 young people from the high schools and general walks of life.
 
Internship/Volunteerism is an integral programme incorporated into our leadership models. This is gear to attract students and deploy them into volunteerism while they grant education to high schools and Middle schools affiliated to the Association as in the year we grant 39 weeks of volunteerism to public, private and chartered schools. This concept is also to attract exchange programme from international organizations with the Association to grant transfer of knowledge to young people.
 
Collaborative project: the Association is currently under partnership with United Force for Development an NGO based in Northern Ghana steer the affairs of youth development in the youth and UN Foundation on the Global Initiative in Ghana and International Debate Education Association. The Association renders materials to the NGO to assist with debate and public speaking in the area in order to fine tune schools for the Ghana Junior Forensic League.And currently working partnership with OSI to hold the maiden edition of the Ghana University Debating Championship  2012 project.
 
Subsequently, this has helped the Association to begin creating debate and literary societies on the various campuses. It is also to integrate them into the inaugural edition of the Ghana Universities Debating Championships 2012 under the British Parliamentary Format so student from the country can begin representing the country at the Pan African Universities Debating Championship and the World Universities Debating Championships. The project muted for this is the Ghana University Debating Championship project 2011 since there is more to be done with education done a mere competition.
 
Ghana Junior Forensic League Project
The Ghana Junior Forensic League 2011 project has identified 1000 students from its pilot phase in the Gt. Accra region and have inaugurated debate/ literary societies in 16 basic school ie. Private and Public schools with much endorsement from Ghana Education Service and now runs on a national level with representative identified in zones. This is aimed at graduating the middle schools into a national event Ghana Junior Forensic League which we working hard to come on television by the fall of September 2011. Our well tailored debate education workshops/seminars have benefited coaches, educators and teachers of the various schools of whom are affiliated to the Association. This would steadily annex the Eastern corridors of the country by the fall of the year.
 
Ghana University Debating Championships/Affiliation
preceding this event is the Ghana University Debating Project to grant nationwide training to universities on the British Parliamentary format to be used and the argumentation literacy amongst others. The Ghana University Debating Championships is an annual advance debate competition organised by the Association and involves debate, public speaking and interpretation of critical issues for tertiary institutions. This affords students to acquire considerable strides in research competence, argumentation literacy, reading comprehension, evidence evaluation, public speaking and civility skills, abstract thinking, cross examination/questioning, and distinguishing facts from opinions. It would come off in November and serves as the right to join the West African Debating Champs; Pan African Debating Champs & Worlds. the Association would out fare this project to precede the Ghana University Debating Championships, the only and first university championships to take place in Ghana.
 
The Association has worked with student groups in the past and is still committed to that as much our our activities involves direct lineage with the schools and student groups of which the Association forms some on campuses.
 
The model considered carefully by the Association to grant our students includes: middle schools debate format( junior tournaments), karl popper (senior high), British Parliamentary Debate format, G20,and Model UN.
 
furthermore, the Association will be more than willing to participate in any youth development related event on the continent for Ghana. We also look at areas of youth exchange for volunteerism in the various schools for youth education as per our tailored programmes.
 
Counting on your cooperation and feedback.
 
 follow the link below for more videos and pictures on projects and initiatives.
Best Regards
 
CHRISTIAN LEBRECHT MALM-HESSE
------------------------------------
CEO
Debate Ghana Association
F460/Gbatsunaa
Road Nyaniba Estates
Osu-Accra

8 April 2012

HWS / IDEA Round Robin Results


Champions: Stanford University (Michael Baer & Shengwu Li)
2nd Place: Oxford Union (Will Jones & Ben Woolgar)
Finalist: Sydney Union (Dom Bowes & Paul Karp)
Finalist: Yale University (Nick Cugini & Ben Kornfeld)

-------------

TOP SPEAKERS
1) Ben Woolgar (Oxford)
2) Michael Baer (Stanford)
3) Shengwu Li (Stanford)
4) Will Jones (Oxford)
5) Nick Cugini (Yale)
6) Ben Kornfeld (Yale)
7) Paul Karp (Sydney)
8) Kate Falkenstien (Yale)
9) Romeo Maione (Carleton)
10) Christine Simpson (UCD L&H)

-------------

FULL TAB at: http://people.hws.edu/barnes/rr/2012-RR-tab.pdf