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High school debate

The YEF Debate Program conducts an open and free annual program for high school students. Lectures are held in Debate Clubs, which have lectures once a week, conducted based on a standardized curriculum and YEF textbooks by trained lecturers. The clubs have meetings during the school year.

Through these lectures, high school students are educated on the basics of debate, argumentative expression, critical thinking, teamwork and public speaking. Lectures are given by debate coaches, who are experienced debaters and certified coaches by the Debate Program.

In the academic year 2017/2018 and 2018/2019, the Debate program is implemented in clubs in the following cities: Tetovo, Veles, Bitola, Prilep, Kumanovo, Skopje. Lectures are held once a week, for a duration of 2 hours, according to a predetermined work program. High school students can be part of a debate club at two levels: beginner level (where all members attend debate for the first time) and advanced level (where all members have spent a year in an entry level club).

The debate format that is taught is the World Schools Style format. In addition to regular lectures, debate tournaments are organized annually, where debaters compete with each other. The best teams and speakers at these tournaments get the opportunity to compete and represent YEF at international events.

The most important events for high school debate in North Macedonia are the National Debating Championship and the National Debating Championship for Beginners, which the Debate Program organizes every year. The National Debating Championship for Beginners is one of the most important events of the Debate Program. At the national level, the Debating Championship for Beginners is considered the most important tournament in which teams from all clubs in the network of the YEF Debating Program participate. Each year more than 150 novice debaters for the first time at a competitive level get the opportunity to present and upgrade their argumentation and public speaking skills. The theses debated are of a relevant nature that directly affect the debaters. The National Debating Championship is the largest debating tournament for high school debaters in the Republic of North Macedonia, where all high school debaters can compete, regardless of the level of debate they have completed. The tournament promotes competitive debate among young people based on organized and reasoned discussion and selects the best team and individual speakers in the World Schools debate format. The best debaters from YEF and debating clubs across the country, selected through local qualifying tournaments, compete against each other on topics of an economic, political and social nature. The tournament is held in English, giving debaters the opportunity to hone their debating skills in English. In 2006, YEF hosted the World High School Debating Championships, which saw over 300 debaters from around the world compete. YEF debaters often achieve high rankings in the international tournaments where they compete, of which the 2nd speaker’s place at the World Debate Championship stands out.