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Description
The project solves the formal education system''s lack of focus on critical thinking, media literacy, and active
citizenship. It aims to spread the debate informal education method to more cities and high school in the Czech
Republic, because the competitive debate develops the critical thinking skills and democratic values of its participants
as studies prove. The project consists of debate tournaments and trainings, lessons for teachers, and support of
debate clubs as well as capacity building of the organization and development of the volunteer team.
Summary of project results
Support for extremist and populist parties among young people in the Czech Republic is steadily growing, as indicated by the results of the student elections and other surveys of voter preferences. Trust in democratic institutions, including elections themselves, is similarly low - for example, according to Behavio''s research, the proportion of both decided and potential non-voters is significantly higher among young people, indicating a lack of interest among young people in public affairs. These problems are caused by a lack of information about the functioning of democracy and the opportunities for participation in civil society. Another cause is the increasing amount of information disseminated by traditional and alternative media and social networks. Discerning the essential from the ballast, and the credible from the manipulations and lies, is then difficult for up to 80% of secondary school and high school students (according to a Median survey for The Student Times). The common cause of these phenomena is the Czech education system''s lack of focus on critical thinking and media literacy.
The project addressed this problem by disseminating a competitive debating programme for secondary school students. Competitive debate is an argumentative and rhetorical "duel" of teams of three on a given controversial thesis. Each side tries to convince the judge that their argument is better than the opposition''s. They do this by defending their own argument and substantively criticizing the opposition team''s argument.
Participation in the debate programme has been shown to increase critical thinking skills and active engagement in civil society, as demonstrated in Anja Sherc''s Untangling Debate study. A study of 8 European debating organisations, including the Association of Debating Clubs (https://journals.muni.cz/socialni_studia/article/view/11461), has reached similar results, including greater support for democratic values among debaters. From our own experience, we can confirm that participants and graduates of the debate programme are able to spread these values in their school team and in their families. This innovative method of non-formal education is thus a suitable tool for the acquisition of democratic values and therefore a way of combating misinformation, populism and extremism.
1) Training of teachers - the implementation of the training enabled the inclusion of new teachers in the debating programme, who were able to establish debating clubs in their schools that were not previously involved in the debating programme
2) Training of beginner debaters by experienced methodologists from the grantee organisation
3) Training of coaches and referees
4) Debating club meetings (a key activity where debaters acquire new skills, knowledge and value attitudes that represent the change the project was intended to bring about)
5) Organisation of debating tournaments (key activity)
6) Publication of a debating textbook
7) Capacity building of the grantee organisation
The project has tried to solve the formal education system''s lack of focus on critical thinking, media literacy, and active citizenship. It hasn’t aimed to change the school curricula but rather to allow at least 816 young people to access knowledge about the world and society through competitive debating and as method of development of these skills. Most of the participants now have a better understanding of democratic processes, are more adept at working with information sources, and perceive the importance of public debate as a means of decision-making in civil society. As a result, they may also have a more favorable attitude towards democracy than is common in the general population. Thanks to the newly acquired argumentation skills, the participants and alumni of the program can spread their views within their communities and extend the positive impact of the project beyond those directly involved.
A similar effect has been achieved by introducing 102 additional adults, mostly teachers, to the practice of debating through the project. These educators can now use debating techniques in extracurricular clubs and everyday teaching, thereby reaching young people who, for various reasons, do not participate in debate competitions. A newly published textbook, summarizing years of debate methodology development and offering both necessary theory and practical exercises, serves as a helpful tool for them.
The methodology also relates to the project''s long-term impact. During its duration, practically all crucial educational materials used by our organization with its target groups were updated or significantly revised. These materials will be used in the coming years to educate other groups of young people, further increasing the project''s effects.