One of the main reasons MYDC is such an amazing place to grow intellectually, is because it’s run by youth.
It’s inherently easier for the leaders to connect to the group, for they understand their members and they experience the same ups and downs high school has to offer. MYDC has not only helped to grow my confidence for debate and speech but it introduced me to friendships merely through learning how to argue. The creativity and relativity in every activity we do is what keeps not only me but many other members going. Speaking and arguing about real life problems introduces a fresh new perspective from the future generation, us. It de-stigmatises controversial topics to make sure we as young people understand ongoing events in our worlds. Not only does debate back your arguments, but it helps interpret our own opinions.
During this week’s meeting, we split into 3 groups and rotated through workshops aimed to develop important skills used in real debates. The 3 topics the committee focused on were desensitisation (getting comfortable with speaking about uncomfortable topics), preparation (developing ideas and arguments before a debate), and structure (understanding different speaker roles and their purpose in a debate).
Once we’d finished the workshops, we came back together as a larger group and the committee members ran a few games concentrated on projection and delivery. These activities pushed us to think not just about the words we spoke, but rather encouraged us to focus on how we were saying them, thinking about our tone, expression and emotion and how they can strengthen and weaken our points. These games highlighted how effective debating can go far beyond just words, and how the way we present an idea can be just as powerful as the idea itself.
Overall, MYDC encourages development in life skills which are hard to come by alone.
— Rose Santini