Every year Durham Sixth Form Centre enters a team in the annual European Youth Parliament Inter-Schools Debating Competition. This year the North-East Regional final was held at the Urban Sciences Building, Newcastle University. Our team competed against a number of local schools on the topics of returning artefacts to their origin African countries, the gig economy, the fashion industry and climate change, improving vaccine uptake, immigration in Europe and assisted suicide. 

The Durham Sixth Form Centre team was made up of Stefan Mita, Igor Reszczynski, Gabriel Ridley, Jamie Trelease, Jack Soulsby, Vincent Williams, Erin Garland and Joseph Beattie  who were all required to do research, preparation and organisation for the debate beforehand.

Each debate is chaired by a team of experienced debaters. They follow the procedures used in the European Parliament and ensure that all the debates are carried out in the appropriate manner. At the end of the day they decide which two teams are the winners and will progress to the National level of the competition. Teams are judged on team participation, enthusiasm, strength of arguments, coherence and range of arguments, reference to European examples and overall debating style.

Our team initially supported a motion supporting regulatory improvements to the gig economy. Opening and closing speeches were given by Jamie Trelease and Jack Soulsby, and the motion was just passed. The team also participated enthusiastically and skilfully in the other five debates. The debate competition proved to be a very useful exercise in developing debating skills and styles, and to raising our awareness of issues that are of importance across the European Union. The competition was an enjoyable day of intellectual argument and a chance to compete with other sixth forms from across the region.