JCI Malta is proud to announce one of its biggest debating competitions to date: The National Debating Competition!

Following the success of the Debate Society League, JCI Malta wanted to take this competition based in University to a national level. This means that anyone between the ages of 18 and 40 can put together a debating team and participate in our competition. And don’t worry, if you do not have a team, you can still apply as an individual and JCI Malta will help you put together your own kick-ass team.

And you know what the best part is? The winning team will get to attend the JCI European Conference in Dublin, Ireland for FREE where they will also participate in the European Debating Championship.

Do I need to be an experienced debater to participate?

Absolutely not! The only requirement to participate in this competition is the will to learn how to become a top-notch debater. And you know what they say, when there is a will, there is a way!

What does debating in a JCI setting mean?

1. Teams need to be composed of 3 individual speakers, which will be referred to as: Team Captain, First Speaker, and Second Speaker.
2. Each debate topic will be assigned a Government Team and an Opposition Team. The Government would debate for the motion, while the Opposition would debate against it.

Will you teach me how to debate?

JCI and JCI Malta are all about developing young people into future leaders, and that means we give you learning opportunities to sharpen up your skills. Therefore, the answer to your question is a definite yes. Leading up to the competition, JCI Malta will be running 3 different workshops and trainings that will help you and your team become better debaters.

• Debating 101: In order to debate in a JCI setting you need to learn the rules that come with it. JCI Ireland 2019 National President and Debating Champion Keira Koegh will be running a training on the JCI debating rules, how to define a motion, and what the different roles within the teams of 3 entail. This training is compulsory for all competing teams.
  
  Date: 29th February, 2020
  Venue: Fort St Elmo, Valletta
  Time: 9am – 3pm
  

• Debating Like…: There are various ways in which one can debate. JCI Malta is organising a day workshop with people coming from different fields where debating is used. Together with Lawyers, Politicians, and Media, you will get to learn how they all use debating skills to win an argument. From this training, you will be able to give your debating skills an added level of creativity and professionalism to secure yourself that trophy!
  
  Date: 14th March, 2020
  Venue: Fort St Elmo, Valletta
  Time: 9am – 3pm

• Friendly Debating: Now that you have grasped your debating skills and your team is equipped to take over the debating world, you will get to practice in a Friendly Debating session. Here you can put your skills to test, get professional feedback and work on some last refinements for your team just before the competition!
  
  Date: 28th March, 2020
  Venue: Fortress Buildings, Valletta
  Time: 9am – 3pm
  

• National Debating Competition: You’re prepped and ready to take the JCI Malta National Debating Competition by storm and become the 2020 JCI Malta Champions. The winning team will be winning a fully-funded trip costing €3,000+ where they will get to compete in a European setting at the JCI European Conference in Dublin Ireland between the 27th & 30th of May, 2020.
  
  Date: 4th April, 2020
  Venue: Fort St Elmo, Valletta
  Time: 9am – 5pm

• JCI European Conference in Dublin: The team of 3 people that wins our National Debating Competition will get the splendid opportunity to travel up to Ireland with the JCI Malta team in order to compete in the European Public Speaking Championship there. The team will also get access to several trainings and keynotes running through the course of the Conference.
  
  Date: 27th May – 30th May 2020
  Venue: Dublin Ireland

Are you in it to win it? Sign your team up today!

This project has been funded through the Voluntary Organisations Project Scheme managed by the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector on behalf of Parliamentary Secretary for Youth, Sports and Voluntary Organisations within the Ministry for Education and Employment.

This project/publication reflects the views only of the author, and the MEDE and the MCVS cannot be held responsible for the content or any use which may be made of the information contained therein.