Over the last few weeks we have had the pleasure of taking part in the Rotary International Schools Debate Competition. This is an annual event organised by the Rotary Club of Mallorca to encourage and promote the art of debating to the young people studying here on the island. This year there are six schools taking part. For us it is the very first year we have entered and Ms Donaldson, our History teacher, has led the team.
As newcomers we were invited to watch the first debate at the Lyceé Francais against Queens which was a very interesting motion - “Tik Tok is positive for society”. The second debate we watched was at Agora against BIC. Another fascinating motion - “The colonisation of Mars is essential for the future of mankind”.
On Tuesday 9th November our team won their very first debate against The Academy which was to argue that “Advertising companies should be able to target children”. It was a very lively debate and we enjoyed visiting The Academy. Mia also won the Master Debater of the match which was well deserved.
This week we welcomed Agora Portals to Mallorca International School for the home debate. The motion was “There is no current solution to the youth mental health crisis”. After the coin toss our debate team chose to argue in agreement with the motion.
Agora did an amazing job and won the debate with a very confident performance. We learnt a lot from their debating skills and look forward to watching them in the remaining debates.
Ms Donaldson said “that the teams dedication to researching and preparing for the debates should be highly commended”. A huge thank you to Kate Mentik, the Rotarians and the judges who volunteer their time and expertise to give our young people these important opportunities.