1989: Something to Debate About

Debate competition for college and university students on the regime change, organized by the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, DIA / the Foundation for Democratic Youth and Blinken OSA.

The public, argument-based, moderated debate competition will be held at Empathy Cafe & Bistro. 3-To apply visit: https://www.helsinki.hu/1989-vitaverseny-diakoknak/

Teams of three are invited to apply by 24:00, November 11, 2019.

In order to make the “finals” a success, we will hold a debate preparation session and a workshop with the help of an expert from the Foundation for Democratic Youth at Blinken OSA.

As for the debate competition, the teams will be pitted against each other on the basis of a selection, similar to a fencing competition. The order of elimination will be decided on the spot with a quick 1989 “pub quiz”. The first team will then face the fourth, the second the third. One of the three pre-selected claims will be drawn by lot for the “duelists”. Luck will also decide who will have to argue for or against each claim. The winners will then go through to the final, where they will have to argue for or against the one remaining claim.

During the competition, all three members of the team will have a debate task, and each of them will have to argue.

The prize for the winning team will be an Iron Curtain trip next March. The two-day trip will take the participants to emblematic sites of the regime change on the Hungarian-Austrian border. Travel, accommodation and meals are covered by us.

If you have any questions, please contact us at koszonjuk@helsinki.hu or call the Hungarian Helsinki Committee [(36 1) 321 4323, 321 4327, 321 4141] during working hours.

The program is in Hungarian.

Venue: Empathy Café and Bistro, Budapest, Arany János u. 31, 1051