Three teams of the Milestone Debating Society – Jefferson, Rousseau and Voltaire – have had the chance to participate at the Heart of Europe Debating Competition in Olomouc, the second international competition that the society prepared its members for in 2016.

Between the 13^th and 18^th of July, the society’s members have demonstrated their debating and persuasive skills, and challenged their opponents in 4 debates for which they could prepare in advance (prepared motion) and 4 debates for which they were given the motion on the spot (impromptu motion). During the whole week 40 teams and more than 120 debaters presented their cases on themes such as gender, education, social media, migration and sustainability. Participants came from all around the world, representing countries such as Nigeria,  South Africa or Peru and the whole of Europe. The Canadian team UTS-A from the University of Toronto Schools won the grand final against Denmark A. The results were very close, decided by a 5:4 split.
The debaters of the Milestone Debate Society had the opportunity to acquire new friends and receive professional advice on debate preparation and presentation techniques from senior coaches. Moreover, the delegation besides strengthening its the internal bonds, had also grasped the crucial opportunity to connect and start to cooperate with foreign professional coaches and judges for the improvement of their debating society. However, it was not just all about competition, learning and networking. The last night, watching the Nigerians dance, has inspired the delegation to create a dance choreography based on their movements, teach it to the debaters and make a film to serve as a fun memory.
The saying goes: the greatest improvement always happens during competition. After the return of the delegation, this fact became tangible for the society’s presidency, which as a result decided to increase the emphasis on professional coaching and the attendance of international competitions for the next years.

Results

Photos