Debating clubs?
This club saw daylight in September 2013. Before this date, Brussels didn’t have a real open debating club and even in Belgium it is hard-to-find. This is remarkable, as debating clubs exist for a long time all over the world:
· The UK has one of the oldest debating club traditions in Europe. An interesting model for debating clubs is Cogers, a club which exist since 1755 and which was founded consequently to a popular agitation against the ministers of George the Third in the cause of freedom of the press. An inspiring example for our club. Similar clubs are e.g. the Sylvans, who are ‘debating since 1868’!
· Also our northern neighbors have are very active debaters. They even have an official national debating society - de Nederlandse Debatbond - where you can find links to several debating clubs like the Utrecht Debating Society and their debating tournaments.
· How is the situation in Belgium? There are multiple organizations which do debating within their portfolio of activities. There is for example the Junior Chamber International (JCI) which organizes quite regularly a Flemish Debating Training Day and a Debating Cup, even with its finals in the Senate. In Leuven there a debating club eloquently called ‘Eloquentia Leuven’ which organizes prepared debates for students on news items. Next, there is also the Olivaint Conference of Belgium which claims to educate students for future leadership roles in the public arena, and which therefore often organizes debates and debating training.
Conclusion: it is most timely to have a debating club in Brussels!
· The UK has one of the oldest debating club traditions in Europe. An interesting model for debating clubs is Cogers, a club which exist since 1755 and which was founded consequently to a popular agitation against the ministers of George the Third in the cause of freedom of the press. An inspiring example for our club. Similar clubs are e.g. the Sylvans, who are ‘debating since 1868’!
· Also our northern neighbors have are very active debaters. They even have an official national debating society - de Nederlandse Debatbond - where you can find links to several debating clubs like the Utrecht Debating Society and their debating tournaments.
· How is the situation in Belgium? There are multiple organizations which do debating within their portfolio of activities. There is for example the Junior Chamber International (JCI) which organizes quite regularly a Flemish Debating Training Day and a Debating Cup, even with its finals in the Senate. In Leuven there a debating club eloquently called ‘Eloquentia Leuven’ which organizes prepared debates for students on news items. Next, there is also the Olivaint Conference of Belgium which claims to educate students for future leadership roles in the public arena, and which therefore often organizes debates and debating training.
Conclusion: it is most timely to have a debating club in Brussels!