-participants ready to ‘battle’
AS the inaugural Speaker’s National Youth Debating Competition gets underway today, the participants are eagerly waiting to dive into their respective battles.
Though some are new to competition at this level, they are all brimming with confidence ahead of round one, which has a total of eight debates.
Many of the participants are avid youth leaders in their own right, and are now keen to take it to the next step and show the nation just what they can do.
“Our team is confident in our abilities in this first round. We will remain focus [sic] and shy away from intimidation if there is any,” commented 21-year-old Denzil St. Hill.
A former West Demerara Secondary School student, St. Hill was Student Body President at his alma mater and a volunteer with the United States Embassy’s Youth Action Network. To his credit, he has won a number of prepared-speech competitions hosted by the One Nation Youth Movement, Rising Nation Youth Movement and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.
Representing Region Three, St Hill is part of the West Demerara Young Achievers and is joined by St Stanislaus College alumnus and University of Guyana medical student, Nkosi Jupiter, and former Patentia Secondary student, Gabriel Jose.
“I’m looking forward to the energy that this competition will have. I hope to gain experience also and learn from other talented and experienced debaters,” Jupiter shared in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Monday.
The West Bank Young Achievers will be among the day-one line up, and will be supporting the moot “Drug Rehabilitation is very effective in Guyana” against the Grove/Diamond Youths in Development at 14:00hrs.
The competition will continue on Tuesday at 10:00hrs, when Mahdia Youth Group takes on Queenstown Youth Group, arguing the moot, “Psychedelic drug use declines academic performance”. Also at 10:00hrs, Young Professionals will defend the moot, “The age of consent in Guyana should be increased to 18 years” with Golden OM Youth Group opposing.
Later at 14:00hrs, the University of Guyana Student Society (UGSS) will have to do their best to support the moot, “Secondary schools have insufficient programmes in career guidance to aid students” as Oronoque Sports Group opposes.
A total of 16 youth groups comprising three members each are participating in the competition, which will proceed in four rounds, using the knock-out method.
The competition, which will run from June 15 to July 9, is a collaboration between the Parliament and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport. The competition will be held on Tuesdays and Fridays with two debating contests each day. Attractive prizes will be given to all participants with the ‘best speaker’ receiving a laptop.
Twenty-two-year-old Babita Singh, a member of the Berbice Development Youth Group, has participated in high school debates before; however, this will be her first national debate.
STEPPING STONE
Notwithstanding being in competition with the other groups, what she is looking forward to the most is meeting new people and making friends.
“It is a competition yes and I will bring my ‘A’ game. But meeting new people from all over Guyana is what I am looking forward to,” the aspiring accountant shared.
Singh also wants to be a public representative, and being part of the youth group, and now the debating competition is just the kind of practice she needs.
Singh’s group will be on the chopping block on Friday when they come up against the KAST Talent Management Group, supporting the moot, “Like English, Spanish should be a core subject in the education system.”
Also on Friday at 10:00hrs, Small Steps Big Impact Youth Group and Linden Super Star Youth Group will give their perspectives on the moot, “Students who graduate during the pandemic will not be taken seriously.”
Then at 14:00hrs, No. 58 Swing Star Youth Group will take on the Anna Regina Youth Group presenting for and against arguments on the moot, “Single-use plastic products should be banned in Guyana.” Angoy’s Avenue Youth Group will argue with Cummings Lodge Youth Group over whether playing video games leads to a dangerous addiction.
Hailing from East Public Road, Mainstay, on the Essequibo Coast, Anna Regina Youth Group member, 18-year-old Amar Boodram, is really looking forward to using the competition to be an example to other youths to get up and get involved.
“I am looking forward to challenge other youth groups and learn from what they have to propose and to develop my public speaking and also demonstrate to other fellow young Guyanese that age should not determine your capability to start taking responsibility and to demonstrate leadership,” the future economist shared.
The competition will be judged by nine judges with chief judges being Guyana Press Association (GPA) President, Nazima Ragubir; distinguished Toastmaster Delon Fraser, and UG English Lecturer and Debating Coach, Dr. Valerie Goorsammy-Smith.
The other judges are Editorial Consultant Neil Marks; Parliament Office’s Chief Administrative Officer, Monette Garnett-Christopher; youth activist Breanna Ramnarain; Assistant Director of Sports, Melissa Dow-Richardson; Head of Distance Learning at the Ministry of Education, Aneishaw Mohamed, and second-year law student, Rayon Miller.
Sharing her expectations ahead of the competition, Raghubir in a comment on Monday noted that she is looking forward to a high level of quality debates from the competitors.
“I hope to hear well-researched arguments as well as an understanding of some of the issues these young debaters are expected to touch on. I feel this competition is a chance to show the public what quality debates really are and I am hoping every single one of them ‘brings it’,” she commented.
Her advice to the participants is, “Research. Research. Find reliable sources. Understand the topic. This is a debate. Don’t come reading anything. I expect quality and will be looking for that.”
