Eurasian Schools Debating Championship 2012

_The first Eurasian Schools Debating Championship was held last year, in prestigious schools and universities of the magnificent city of Istanbul. Eurasian Schools Debating Championship 2012 will take place between the 13-20 June, with the attendance of high school teams and schools from all around the world. The tournament will again be in the format of World Schools Debating Championship, to increase the number of international participants. The tournament will have world-famous judges.

What is special about ESDC?

·    First international debating championship to take place in Turkey
·    First Eurasian Championship ever organized in the world
·    First student-run tournament

Aims of ESDC

• To achieve excellence in debating
• To encourage debating throughout the world
• To promote international understanding
• To promote free speech

Visit http://www.esdc2012.org for more information

IMPORTANT NOTICE: The final registration date has been postponed to May 4th. And in accordance, the final payment deadline has been postponed to May 20th.  All applications so far have been accepted. Also, from now on we switch to a first come first served registration system.

Yayasan Orator Confirms The Takeover Of The World Universities Peace Invitational Debate

From http://thedebatingnews.com

More than 5 years of WUPID history will draw to a close later this month when the debating event is for the last time until at least 2016 will no longer be organized by H & G Strategic Communications Sdn Bhd.

Yayasan Orator confirmed last Monday that it has secured exclusive rights to WUPID from 2012, including the WUPID in Bahasa Melayu, in a four-year deal believed to be worth at USD$1m.

Debating has been an important portfolio of H & G’s speech communication business since 2006, with WUPID in particular bringing both the nation and the world’s top university debaters to Malaysia. First sponsored by CIMB in 2007, WUPID attracted a domestic audience of up to 500 and, according to The Debating News, an estimated global viewing figure of 10 thousand.

CIMB WUPID 2008 were among the many outstanding moments to have been organized by H & G, and though the sponsor has ceased it’s sponsorship to concentrate on squash, many in global debating will find it difficult to forget CIMB's connection with global debating.

The exact value of the deal with Yayasan Orator remains secret due to "commercial sensitivity", but a report in The Debating News mid last month reported that it would be worth around USD$1m for four years.
Announcing the deal, Shamsul Azhar Ismail, the managing director of H & G, which conducted the negotiations, said that Yayasan Orator had "shown a total commitment to debating and WUPID", adding that "the new deal will not only deliver increased benefits for Malaysian debating, but with debating at large. Yayasan Orator offers a compelling vision to innovate the way debating is organized.

"They have also committed to expand the event and to promote WUPID more widely. This is a great opportunity for global debating in the long term."

Saiful Amin Jalun, the lead advisor for WUPID, said that the contract is "a huge boost for debating", and that "the vision and nature of this new arrangement will help to make a step change in the way we organize debating events".
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Yayasan Orator

Yayasan Orator supports the development and empowerment of communities. Yayasan Orator is committed to improving the quality of life of communities and promoting sustainable development through the promotion of debate and oratory excercise. Yayasan Orator itself, and in strategic partnerships, aims to improve the lives of communities and individuals by responding to needs and opportunities in the areas of Community Development, Events and Education.
The objectives of Yayasan Orator are:
Support the empowerment and development of communities through but not limited to the development of educational programmes and further develop strategies and programme to promote public speaking through the foundation, public agencies, private bodies and other organizations.
Build meaningful relationships and strategic partnerships with other institutions and organizations, locally and internationally on matters associated with but not limited to good educational practices and good practices of public speaking.
Identify and undertake projects that will promote understanding and the good educational practices and good practices of public speaking locally and internationally and to disseminate information on good practices of education and good practices of public speaking through various media to public, schools, community centres and other target groups.

Berlin Worlds list of registrations (updated)

From http://berlinworlds.blogspot.com

We are publishing this clean list of registrations of the first three days to ask you for feedback on it. Please contact Participant Affairs Officer Dessislava if you find any flaws, particularly institution doubles or accidentally deleted registrations.

Please note: this list does not represent an allocation of slots.The final result will be up shortly after registration has closed on April 7th and all feedback has been processed.

Update in bids for Worlds 2014

All,

As you know, April 1 has now come and gone, and while we're currently occupied with who will attend the 2013 World Championships, we still have not resolved the question of the host for the 2014 Worlds.  While we previously had been optimistic that an extension of the originally-agreed-upon March 1 deadline would produce a definite bid for the 2014 World Championships, and despite the sincere efforts of the prospective bidders who had requested the extension, it now seems that neither of potential bids that were being investigated will materialize.

I want to be clear: I have nothing but the highest regard for both the Bangladesh and the London groups who stepped forward in January to indicate their interest in bidding for the 2014 Worlds.  Both were motivated by a genuine desire to contribute to their community and both pursued with due diligence the question of feasibility for the 2014 event.  In the end, both groups were unwilling to proceed for different yet very similar reasons: they could not go forward with the certainty that they would be able to produce the event they envisioned.  For their efforts and willingness to even investigate the possibility (which, by itself, is a significant undertaking), they have my most sincere appreciation.

There exists, however, renewed cause for optimism.  I have recently been contacted by Harish Nataranjan of Cambridge University who, on behalf of Rajalakshmi Engineering College of Chennai, India, has indicated an interest in hosting our 2014 tournament.  At this point, they have secured permissions from REC and have had initial conversations with a hotel facility that would house delegates.  Harish will travel to Chennai in early April to CA a tournament; while there, he will have an opportunity to meet with the proposed OrgComm and various authorities and partners who would support the event.  Following that, I believe he and REC will be in a better position to decide whether to bid.

I'm writing, therefore, to inform you that Eoin, Coulter and I have discussed how to proceed from here.  Our intention is to give REC the time they need to assemble a bid (should they choose to proceed) while expediting the determination of a host.  We are also open to any other last-minute proposals that may arise in the interim.  To that end, we have not settled on a firm deadline for REC's bid to be submitted but have suggested late April as a target.  We intend to work with REC--and any other potential bidder--to offer what assistance we can in that time.  Should REC proceed with the formal submission of a bid, or should another potential bidder emerge, the schedule of consideration we worked out in January will be adjusted as needed.

I will do all I can to keep you informed of our progress toward the ultimate goal of securing a host for 2014.  I appreciate your patience and, as usual, welcome any questions or suggestions you have about how best to proceed.

Sincerely,

Steve

Steven Johnson, Chair

World Universities Debating Council

Win a scholarship/stipend by participating in the Global Debate & Public Policy Challenge!‏

Win a scholarship and trip to Budapest!

We want to let you know that you can still participate in the Global Debate and Public Policy Challenge, win a free trip to Budapest and one of several scholarship and stipend awards available. We hope you’ll accept the Challenge! What is the GDPPC? The Global Debate and Public Policy Challenge is a new annual competition designed to engage undergraduates in on-going public debate and reflection on issues affecting the global community. This year’s theme explores the relationship between security and human rights. The Challenge offers undergraduates across disciplines and continents an opportunity to explore issues of global importance from different points of view. We hope to attract as wide a range of students into this competition as possible and you still have a very good chance to win. If you are an undergraduate student of any age, you are eligible for this Challenge! What Do I Need To Do To Enter The Challenge and Become Eligible to Win? Register for the competition. Then, prepare and submit your policy brief by 16 April. That’s it! What is the New Way to Participate and What Can You Win? Wehave established a new category of entry for students like you who would like to participate in this third and final round but haven’t been involved yet. If you participate in this new category by submitting a policy brief, you will become eligible to win a trip to Budapest, Hungary for the Global Debate and Public Policy Forum at Central European University in June 2012. Up to 50 finalists will be selected to go to Budapest with the cost of travel and accommodation paid by IDEA. Finalists will attend workshops to hone their public-speaking and advocacy skills as well as compete to determine up to top 10 finalists from both entry groups to compete for the scholarship / stipend prizes by presenting their policy briefs to the audience gathered at the Global Debate & Public Policy Forum. The top winners will be awarded the scholarship / stipend prizes. How Much Are the Scholarships & Stipends and What Can They Be Used For? We have established additional scholarship and stipend opportunities for students who still wish to participate but haven’t entered the previous rounds. From the participants who are chosen to participate at the Forum in Budapest, there will be up to three final winners in this category. Each winner will receive either a scholarship payable to a Graduate School of the winner’s choice for study in a field related to Public Policy or a grant payable to a non-profit institution of the winner’s choice for an internship or placement in a field related to Public Policy. The winners get to choose the option they prefer. The scholarship levels for new participants are (in US Dollars): First place: $2500, Second Place: $1500, Third place: $1000. Please see the Prizes page for more information. The rules of the competition are available here. Where and When Will the Forum Take Place? The inaugural Forum will take place at the School of Public Policy and International Affairs at Central European University and is a great opportunity to interact with your peers from around the world as well as gain valuable public policy and advocacy experience. The event brings together academics and policy experts on this year´s theme: ‘Securing Liberty: Balancing Security and Freedom’. It’s also a real world opportunity to contribute to the debate about important issues of our time and gain valuable feedback from those who work in this field! You can read more about the event details here. How Do I Write My Policy Brief?Your task is to write a policy brief of 1250-1500 words which is designed to bring ideas and contribute to the global debate and public policy Forum “Security, Terrorism and Human Rights: Towards a Global Picture” which will take place 15-16 June in Budapest, Hungary. A summary of the task is available on the Challenge website here: Overview of Policy Brief. Please also refer to these three documents (with links) to help you through the process: 1.      Guidelines for Writing Your Policy Brief. All of the details of the task are outlined in the guidelines. Please ready this thoroughly. 2.      Writing for Specific Target Audiences – An Introduction to Policy Advocacy. This is a resource guide to support the production of your policy brief and get you thinking about advocacy. We recommend you read it before beginning to prepare your brief. 3.      Worksheet for Planning your Policy Brief. This document is a space to organise your thinking and prepare an outline before writing. Before you prepare your policy brief, it may be helpful for you to refer to the previous tasks of the Challenge including the Policy Position Paper and the Alternate Position Paper.Listed here are links to background reading materials on the topic of Securing Liberty. Each registered participant will receive by 18 April 2012 information describing the next rounds of selection to take place at the pre-Forum and Forum in Budapest in June 2012. This information will also be posted by the same date on the Challenge website. When Is The Submission Deadline? Your policy brief must be submitted by 23:59 on 16 April 2012. Finalists will be announced on 4 May. Who Do I Contact For More Information? If you don’t find your answer on the Challenge website, please send an e-mail to Catherine Janson: cjanson@idebate.be. Don’t forget to also follow our Facebook, Twitter and discussion boards for updates and frequently asked questions about this task. We look forward to your participation! Good Luck!

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Berlin Registration update

Registration for Berlin is ongoing.  There is a complicated, but fairer, system of allocating slots this year so the current stage is really just about getting onto the list for at least one team at the championships.

That said the raw data list is interesting reading.  It seems many colleges had teams of people logging on to try and grab slots (multiple entries for the same institution just 1 or 2 seconds apart means there must have been several people entering the data).  The end result is over 770 institutions on the latest list with 1985 teams. However when you strip out simple duplicates that comes down to around 440 and a quick check of other duplicates (e.g. University of XXX and XXX University) brings it down to 368 institutions and 879 teams.  There are not that many obvious false entries although one twat thought it would be funny to register as "Hogwarts". 

Of these 368 institutions 214 registered the maximum 3 teams but I wonder how many of those were just grabbing the max possible without really knowing how many teams they will send.  It is also likely that some institutions won't be able to come but the majority will.

The new registration process means all institutions registered in the first 3 days will get at least one slot.  After that institutions are allocated second and then third slots (based on past participation) as detailed on http://wudcberlin.com/time/#A.  Based on the current registration data it looks like there will be very few second teams and no third teams.

Here is the official post on the tournament website:

Berlin Worlds list of registrations

We are publishing this raw list of registrations (up to about 11 p.m.) so that institutions can see when their data was received and make sure their information is correct.

As contact person named in the registration, you should have received an email from our Participant Affairs Officers John and Dessislava with a modified version of this list. If you think you should have received that email but did not, please check your spam folder. If we seem to have received an incorrect email address, please contact Dessislava.

Please note: this list does not represent an allocation of slots. Due to doubles and rules regarding country representation, for instance, it is not guaranteed that the first x teams registered will be on the final list. The final result will be up shortly after registration closes on April 7th.

Israeli ASA (Academic Sports Association) Debating Competition 2012

This is the third year this 4 days event is taking place in the lovely sunny vacation town of Eilat in southern Israel.

The Winners: Uri Feldman and Keren Kuralander (IDC Herzliya)

Best Speaker: Uri Feldman (IDC Herzliya)

Best Junior Speaker: Yael Goren (MTA)

Motions:

1. THW allow people given life imprisonment to be able to choose the death penalty

2. THBT the state should only fund sports that bring achievements

3. THW allow families to check their relatives into rehab for treat drug and alcohol addiction

4. THW cancel the State Witness agreement

Semi-Finals: THW ban donations from abroad to local political associations
Final: THW prohibit all media statements made by senior Israeli officials on the subject of a military attack on Iran

CA – Rinat Gershfeld

DCA – Lior Hadas

Convener – Amitai Itzkovitch

Yours,

Rinat Gershfeld