Santiago IPISA Students Win Second Collegiate Debate Tournament

Santiago IPISA Students Win Second Collegiate Debate Tournament
Santiago, February 4, 2014

Most of the 54 participants in the competition are beneficiaries of the school voucher “Studying I Progress” from Progressing with Solidarity, one of the programs of the Office of Coordination of Social Policies, under the authority of the Vice President of the Republic, Dr. Margarita Cedeño de Fernández.

The Vice Presidency of the Republic, the Dominican Debate Society (SODODE) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE), brought to a close the II Intercollegiate Debate Tournament, where the winner was the team representing the Industrial Polytechnic Institute of Santiago (IPISA – Instituto Politécnico Industrial de Santiago).

The winners are the following students: Samuel Isaac López Chávez and Vianna Esther Gómez García, both 15; Jordy de Jesús Almánzar Núñez, 16, and Yaribel Elizabeth Kelly Arias, 14.

The award for best argument was won by Kenifer María Cruz, 15, a student at the Ramón Dubert Novo Polytechnic Institute.

Most of the 54 participants in the competition are beneficiaries of the school voucher “Studying I Progress” from Progressing with Solidarity, one of the programs of the Office of Coordination of Social Policies, under the authority of the Vice President of the Republic, Dr. Margarita Cedeño de Fernández.

Pamela Martínez, Director of the Dominican Debates Society (SODODE), said that after participating in the tournaments young people not only take advantage of their debating skills, but they make judgments after becoming truly informed about the most important topics of discussion at the national level.

“We had a meeting in January with the young people who participated in the first debate, which was held in November, and most of them said that they had discovered qualities they never knew they had, and talents that, up to the moment of the debate, were dormant,” she stated.

She added that the main impact of this type of activity on young people is to help them develop their critical thinking, “because from the moment they begin debating, the next time they issue a reasoned judgment, they are forced to do so after conducting a truly independent and impartial investigation.”

During the event the 14 teams from the participating schools received training in discursive writing, public speaking, research techniques, effective debate and presenting arguments for and against the subject: Should the content of urban music be regulated?

“This program has greatly influenced my life, since I have learned many things about public speaking, debating, and presenting arguments for and against; in short, it has been a wonderful experience that will benefit my life,” said Samuel Isaac López Chávez, one of the youth in the winning team.

For her part, Mirtha Aguirre, Director of Dominicana de Debates, a discussions association in Santiago, said that it is very important to have such tournaments between schools because they allow young people to reflect, discuss and develop their ability to speak in public, to express themselves and to exchange opposing points of views.

“It was a very good activity because it allowed us to see that all participants are enthusiastic about the subject of regulating urban music,” she added.

She said that debate is a very useful tool and, above all, a very rich one because young people are willing to participate and play roles where they get to reflect and think about other issues that often elude them.

Also, Santiago Álvarez, from the Association for the Study of International Organizations of the Espaillat Province (AESI – Espaillat), said that debate is an educational tool that has incredible potential because it increases the capacity for argumentation in young people.

He welcomed that the Vice President has taken this initiative to train young people and to maintain family and social values.

“With this initiative, which the Vice President has been developing, she renews has her commitment once again, according to the aim of President Danilo Medina, to raise the capacity of young people in the Dominican Republic,” he said.