Verbattle meets Europe

Project description: Speak up and change the world! That’s the motto of Verbattle and also the sum of reasons why the Czech Debate Society decided to implement this project. Educational programme and also a style of competitive debate called Verbattle started ten years ago in India. During its existence there it gained considerable popularity among the youth. Czech Debate Society licensed this educational program as currently the only organization within the European Union.
This project with the participation of partnering organizations WalkTogether (Bulgaria), Kulturális Kapcsolatokért Alapítvány (Hungary), Slovak Youth for Traveling, Education and Volunteering (Slovakia) and Hellenic Youth Participation (Greece) including 36 youths and 12 leaders aims to improve participant’s communication and language skills through seminars of work with information, logic, formulating their own opinions and arguments, public speaking, presentation skills and other soft-skills. It will equip them to active participation in social discussion and intercultural dialogue, strengthen their rational and logical thinking, increase their awareness and respect for democratic values and ideals, show them examples of best practices, provide them with knowledge of the activities of civil society and the power to influence of local leaders, raise their social responsibility and awareness through experiential education in terms of individuals, the state and the international community (EU) and last but not least, it will enhance their level of tolerance for diversity, attitude to social inclusion and brotherhood in the best sense of the word.

Topic and educational method: The topic of the exchange is refugees and humanitarian / development aid. There will be plenty of immediate experiences for participants, we’ve also arranged for two experts in the field to come and give their lectures and discussions. Because the schedule is partly based on the element of surprise, we will not publish it in advance, however we can promise that most days’ activities are of course balanced (indoor / outdoor, lecturing / experiences / games, psychic / physical etc…).
The project aims to improve participant’s communication and language skills through seminars of work with information, logic, formulating their own opinions and arguments, public speaking, presentation skills and other soft-skills. It will equip them to active participation in social discussion and intercultural dialogue, strengthen their rational and logical thinking, increase their awareness and respect for democratic values and ideals, show them examples of best practices, provide them with knowledge of the activities of civil society and the power to influence of local leaders, raise their social responsibility and awareness through experiential education in terms of individuals, the state and the international community (EU) and last but not least, it will enhance their level of tolerance for diversity, attitude to social inclusion and brotherhood in the best sense of the word.

Specifically, individual lectures will be:
– Perception of information and media manipulation
– Logic and argumentation
– Public speaking & how (not) to give a presentation
– Refutation
– Verbattle
There will also be 2–3 Verbattle lectures for leaders.