OSCE Mission to Moldova supports youth engagement through public debates

The OSCE Mission to Moldova organized its second public debate contest on 2 November 2016 for young people, bringing together 98 high school students and their teachers for a debate in Balti.

Experienced debate teams from Comrat and Bender were invited to debate the appropriate decision-making process for choosing a career to familiarize their counterparts from Balti with the Karl Popper debate format as a method for fostering critical thinking in young people. The purpose of the public debate was to promote the establishment of debate clubs in Balti’s high schools.

“I think it is great that so many students took part in the debates. High school students are on the brink of important life decisions – their career path,” said Elena Rybak, a high school civic education teacher from Balti. “This Karl Popper form of debate promotes logical and critical thinking, an understanding of a democratic dialogue, and public speaking skills - attributes that will help these students in their adult lives.” 

The event is part of a project to engage young people, including those representing national minorities, in civic processes at the local and national levels by fostering their debate skills. The project is implemented jointly by the OSCE Mission to Moldova and the NGO Piligrim-Demo and consists of debate training, tournaments and public debates.