Why do young people like debates?

If you have asked yourself this question or if you are still hesitating whether or not to get involved in debating, we will try to convince you so that your answer is a resounding 'YES! To do this, we interviewed three debaters from the Youth in Focus regional tournament, which took place in Bishkek on 1-2 May. Our heroes, Aytalkyn, Alim and Shakhlo, tell us about their experience of debating and how it has helped them in life. 

‘My history with debates began in 2020, when I had just entered Nazarbayev University, but everyone was quarantined. When I attended my first session at Zoom, I was amazed by the openness, energy and friendliness of the club members and participants. 

I was very shy and found it difficult to express myself in the early rounds. However, I never once felt pressured by the older generation of the club, despite how competitive debate is. My fellow clubbers were willing to teach and share their knowledge, while looking out for my comfort. 

I realised then that debate has its own values; different people come along and you don't have to be like everyone else, because progress comes in different ways. But still, there are always people who are willing to help you," Aitolkyin said.

‘At the beginning it was very difficult for me to adapt to the new knowledge and values. It was difficult to integrate given that I was an introvert. For logical reasons, I was losing at the beginning, which sometimes made me want to just quit and leave. But I realised that without debates my life would become grey again, so I started to integrate myself. As time went on, the tournaments started to bring me nothing but fun and bonding with new acquaintances and friends. I started to understand a little bit more about different topics, but most importantly, my concept of the world and society around me started to change’ - Alim 

I have never participated in debates before and this is a completely new experience and format for me. The first thing I would like to mention is the standard of the tournament. The organisation was simply of the highest standard. The debates themselves were very rich because of the resolutions. 

I was also very pleased with the topics we discussed: women's rights, education and politics. Participating has given me incredible new acquaintances and, most importantly, new skills. I definitely feel more comfortable on stage after taking part and I have now learnt the British parliamentary format in practice.

I am sure that this form of communication is enriching and unleashes the creative potential of the participants' - Shahlo

In debates we learn important skills that help us to think critically, to prove our position and to look at a problem from different angles. 

I like the fact that at tournaments you can take on different roles - speaker, referee, organiser or equity officer. It broadens my horizons and helps me to better understand the mechanics of debate and event organisation. Through debating, I have also learnt how to organise tournaments, how to hold weekly meetings, how to make my own resolution, how to mentor newcomers and how to communicate with people.  - Aitolkyn said.

Unfortunately or fortunately, this world is only made better or worse by people themselves. For me, debating became the only tool to kill my indifference to many problems around me and beyond. Having changed through debate, I have seen people around me change. It seems to me that only through debates can you explain why a person can sometimes be wrong, and only through debates can you make the most adequate and painless criticism of opinions, because of which you can change with no harm'. - Alim.

One example of the positive impact of debates on society is the charitable aspect of debate tournaments. For example, for the second year in a row, the Kazakh league organised a charity tournament in Astana called ‘Baqyt degen...’ (which translates as ‘happiness is’), where funds from the registration fees of participants and contestants are go to charity. This initiative comes from the students themselves and reflects their desire not only to develop the debate movement, but also to bring real benefit to society through their activism.

At tournaments, we pay attention to the gender balance of the panel of chief judges and try to maintain a favourable atmosphere through policy and team equity. At our grand tournament ‘Nomad's Sky’ (in Kazakh and Russian languages), we provide grants for participants from socially vulnerable groups. 

All these points are important and show that debates not only encourage active discussion of important issues, but also promote social responsibility and involvement. - said Aitolkyn.

For me, it was especially valuable to get to know the guys from Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. It was easy to find a common language because everyone was open to communication and interested in debating. I would like to highlight our cultural evening after the first day of the tournament, where we enjoyed national songs, dances and interesting quizzes, which helped us to get closer to each other and have a cultural exchange.

The atmosphere of the tournament itself was incredible, thanks to everyone involved, including the organisers, judges, speakers and volunteers. It was a lot of hard work, so I would like to thank everyone who took part in this event. - Aitolkyn

The Youth in Focus tournament was a very comfortable and heartwarming experience for me. Playing with my teammate from Kazakhstan was scary and sometimes difficult (that's what I thought in my head), but it turned out to be the opposite and our interaction was within the limits of comfort and maximum efficiency. It was inspiring to see and hear speeches from famous people and heads of organisations who motivated us. One of the most memorable parts of the tournament was the cultural event, where we were able to get to know and bond with participants from other countries, as the event itself was of an incredibly high standard.

Taking part in a tournament where very important societal issues are being discussed keeps me from forgetting why I am there. The format of playing with representatives from other communities gave me the opportunity to share my experiences and exchange opinions. All in all, the tournament went down as one of the best tournaments of the year, if not of my entire debating career. - Alim

I believe that debates change the participants themselves and the society around them, especially youth debates like Youth in Focus. When young people, who are the future of their countries, raise important and topical issues, they are listened to. 

The experience I gained in Bishkek will definitely be used in my life, both as a student and in my future professional life. I would like to thank all the organisers. It is great that the people of Central Asia continue to unite for the sake of common development! - Shahlo

The Youth in Focus regional debating tournament ended on 2 May. This tournament not only brought together young people from the three countries, but also became an important platform for the exchange of experiences and ideas.

IDEA Central Asia and the United Nations Population Fund in Kyrgyzstan (UNFPA) are confident that this event has inspired young people to take an active part in the life of their country.

This event is organised by IDEA Central Asia together with the United Nations Population Fund in Kyrgyzstan (UNFPA) and the Kyrgyz State University named after I. Arabaev. I. Arabaev Kyrgyz State University.