S P E E C H & D E B AT E
Debating Across the World
T
he ESU’s Speech & Debate
team regularly send groups of
the world’s best debating and
public speaking mentors to train both
students and adults at international
ESUs across the globe. Places on the
tour are very sought after, and are
primarily rewarded to mentors who have done
outstanding work for the ESU. In the past
6 months, we have sent tours to Denmark,
USA, Japan, China and Turkey.
TURKEY
Daina O. Pusic, Akash Mukerji
Daina O. Pusic: The ESU Turkey tour, which took place in
Istanbul at the beginning of October, was my first experience as a
mentor on an international tour.
It gave me the opportunity to directly communicate with students
and engage with them by teaching debate and critical thinking as well
as exploring a new approach to analysing visual art through logic and
argumentation.
I found the experience immensely gratifying as I came across
students that were not only willing to learn and willing to be
challenged to re-examine the way they think but also brimming with
opinions and observations about the world they live in. I felt their
teachers had invested a lot of time and energy into making their
education rounded and thorough and was left with the impression
I had made a contribution, however small, in their continuing
intellectual development.
I learnt a lot from the teachers and students I came across and
observed Istanbul to be a fascinating city that will stand a lot to gain from
the young generation of its citizens which it is currently educating.
USA
Neshay Aqueel and Charlie Morris
Charlie Morris: The ESU’s US Tour is widely regarded as one of the longest and most
prestigious debating tours run by any organisation. The list of alumni includes former Prime
Ministers, Leaders of the Opposition, and senior judges. To say our names felt somewhat
inadequate compared to others on that list was an understatement.
The 2013 tour comprises of around 30 stops, visiting all four corners of continental USA.
Each stop involves at least one public debate in front of an audience, usually against the host
university. What is remarkable about the tour is not just the variety of locations that it visits, but the
institutional diversity. State universities, private institutions, community colleges; all are included
on the tour. From Hollywood to Houston, Disneyland to Dealey Plaza; the sheer number of iconic
locations that our visits have comprised of has been staggering.
As I write this, we have been ‘on the road’ for around three weeks. To say that the tour has been
an experience of a lifetime or the time of our lives is to indulge in undeserved clichés. It has been no
less than awesome and utterly unique. The people involved have been absolutely wonderful. Hosts
have without exception sought to create a truly memorable experience of their particular location.
We expected a rewarding and intense trip, but we could never have imagined just how kind and
hospitable everyone has been.
It is hard to grasp that though we have not even reached the halfway point, it feels as if the
moment that we stepped off the plane in Seattle for our stop attending the ESU-US Annual
Conference was months ago.
And there is only more to come.
18 | dialogue