After winning the Regional European Youth Parliament round in March, we were delighted to enter a debating team of eight Y12 students to represent Durham Sixth Form Centre at the annual national finals, held in Liverpool from 5-8th September.

Each team debated a particular subject given to them before the competition, with the aim of drawing up a series of statements and a debate resolution that would need to be defended against the other committees during each session. The debates this year covered the subjects of biotechnology and brain implants, overcrowding in prisons, cybersecurity on social media, youth unemployment, climate change and farming, availability of period products, dealing with immigration into Europe, protecting minority languages, civil rights in the European Union, improving train travel, and autism accessibility. 

Students Lexie Cassidy, Jessica Hewitt, Jamie Jobey, Esme Kippin, Madison Moukhin, Sarah Robson, Eleanor Savage and Marcus Wright all did a great deal of research, preparation and organisation for the debates beforehand and within their respective committees.

There were ten debates over the course of two days. Each debate was chaired by a team of experienced EYP volunteer debaters. They follow the procedures used in the European Parliament and ensure that all the debates are carried out in the appropriate manner. Each one involved one committee defending their proposed motion whilst a second committee chose to attack the proposition. Teams gave opening and closing speeches, whilst all the teams were able to make interventions during the debate, either supporting or opposing the proposed motion. At the end of the 40-minute debate, a vote was taken involving all teams. Debaters were judged on team participation, enthusiasm, strength of arguments, coherence and range of arguments, reference to European examples and overall debating style.

Our team participated enthusiastically and skilfully in all ten debates. The debate competition proved to be an extremely useful and enjoyable exercise requiring a great deal of work and commitment in order to improve their debating skills and styles, and to raise their awareness of contemporary issues that are of importance across the whole of Europe. The competition was an enjoyable four days of intellectual discussion and argument, and a chance to compete with other sixth forms from across the whole country. 

All eight members of the team are now eligible to be EYP alumni and can volunteer to help organise and participate in any EYP debate competition anywhere in Europe – from Iceland to Armenia – over the next few years, offering numerous opportunities to develop organisational skills, make contacts and friends and visit exciting places in all parts of Europe.