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Description
The support of extremist and populist parties among young people in the Czech Republic is constantly growing. It is caused by the formal education’s lack of focus on critical thinking, media literacy, and active citizenship. The aim of this project is to tackle this problem by introducing debating as a method of non-formal education in middle schools because debating was proven to improve the critical thinking skills and develop democratic values of its participants. Debate tournaments and educational workshops for at least one thousand pupils (aged 11-15) and fifty teachers will be organized in this project to improve their skills and develop their values. As a part of the organization’s capacity building, a significant amount of time will be devoted to volunteer training and development.
Summary of project results
Support for extremist and populist parties among young people in the Czech Republic is continuously growing, as indicated by the results of student elections and other surveys of voting preferences. There is also a low level of trust in democratic institutions, including the elections themselves – for example, according to research by Behavio, a significantly higher proportion of young people are either decided or potential non-voters, indicating a lack of interest in public affairs among the youth.
These issues are caused by a lack of information about how democracy functions and the possibilities for participation within civil society. Another cause is the increasing amount of information disseminated by traditional and alternative media and social networks. Distinguishing the essential from the trivial and the credible from manipulation and lies is difficult for up to 80% of students, according to a survey by the Median agency for The Student Times. The common origin of these phenomena is the insufficient focus of the Czech educational system on critical thinking and media literacy.
If regular school education fails to prepare students for life in a civic and information society, we will continue to observe voter interest in the simple solutions presented by populists and extremists in the future.
The project focused on developing debating skills among elementary school students. A new debate format suitable for children aged 11-15 was created, along with all necessary methodological materials. This new format was essential for working with a target group that the ADK had not previously engaged with. After the first year of program operation, the format was adjusted based on participant feedback.
Direct contact with the target groups occurred initially through workshops held at 59 schools, involving over 2000 students and/or teachers. In addition to learning the basics of argumentation, students also learned about ways to exercise their civic rights and work with information.
During the 2022/2023 school year, the first Debatiáda competition took place. School-level rounds were held at 24 primary schools, followed by 6 regional rounds and a national final. In the second year, 32 primary schools organized their own rounds, leading to 9 regional rounds and, after the project concluded in May 2024, a national final.
To facilitate competitive tournaments, several training sessions were conducted for volunteers (high school and college students) who served as judges. Three of these sessions were in webinar format, while others were asynchronous, involving self-study, debate judging, and e-learning tests.
Although education in Czech elementary schools still does not prioritize critical thinking and media literacy, the project managed to expand the competitive debating program from secondary to elementary schools and successfully establish it even within a limited timeframe. We reached out to nearly all elementary schools in the country, had direct contact with dozens of them, and provided nearly 2000 young people with access to understanding the world and society through debating. Most of the participants now have greater knowledge of democratic processes, are better at working with information sources, and understand the significance of debate as a means of decision-making in civil society. As a result, they also tend to have a more favorable attitude toward democracy than the general population. Thanks to their newly acquired argumentation skills, participants and program graduates can spread their viewpoints within their communities and extend the positive impact of the project beyond those directly involved.
A similar effect occurred as additional teachers became familiar with debating methodology through the project. These teachers can now incorporate debate techniques into their everyday teaching, reaching young people who, for various reasons, do not participate in debating competitions. Our website provides materials to assist them in this endeavor.
The project’s long-term impact is also related to the development of an entirely new debate format specifically designed for working with children aged 11-15. We have prepared all the necessary educational materials for this format, which will be used in the coming years to further enhance the project’s effects.