The Org Com of Chennai Worlds released informations about the application process for those who would like to participate in Worlds as a adjudicator. This includes Individuals applying to be ‘Independent Adjudicators’ (i.e. an adjudicator unaffiliated with any institution) or Representatives from institutions that have requested one or more adjudicator spots in excess of the ‘N-1’ requirement.  Independent Adjudicators Independent adjudicators are those that wish to judge at Worlds but are not officially part of an institution's WUDC contingent. Independent adjudicators can either be self funded or can apply for a subsidy from Chennai Worlds. Applicants need to fill out the following form and answer several questions. Chennai ...

[caption id="attachment_15655" align="alignright" width="267"] (Photo by Ton Zonneveldt)[/caption] Anne Valkering is a former debater and well known figure in the Debate circle. For Achte Minute she writes about IDEA- the International Debate Education Association. Anne is a program officer and develops projects like Debate changing Europe  does fundraising, implements and coordinates them. What is IDEA? The International Debate Education Association (IDEA) aims to bring debate to places where it is not practiced. IDEA develops, organises and promotes debate and debate-related activities in communities throughout the world to promote civic engagement, focused on young people between 15 and 25. IDEA was created out of the Open Society ...

[caption id="attachment_15088" align="alignleft" width="280"] Patrick Ehmann (Photo: Henrik Mädler)[/caption] Achte Minute was able to catch up with Patrick Ehmann, convener of the WUDC Berlin 2013, to talk about the challenges faced in hosting WUDC Berlin 2013, the legacy of the tournament, the general perspective of world debating and his personal evaluation. Achte Minute: Patrick, now that two months have passed after the WUDC Berlin 2013, how do you feel? Patrick Ehmann: Well, immediately after the tournament I wanted to have nothing to do with the WUDC Berlin 2013 ever again. I was physically and emotionally drained. Now, from a distance I can see ...

At the World Debate Forum in Berlin 2013, debaters from across the world talked about using debating in tournaments, trainings and youth projects. In the opening speech, Doug Cochran presented “Ten suggestions for a better Worlds”. Among these points, he suggested to abloish or reform Points of Information during BP debates. As these thoughts might interest you aswell, Achte Minute asked Doug to write down his thoughts. Doug Cohran: Two Potential Reforms to Points of Information At the World Debating Forum, there was a discussion about potential reforms to WUDC debating. I put forward a number of suggestions, including abolition of points ...

[caption id="attachment_14010" align="alignright" width="400"] Where do they hide among  Announcement Hall der WUDC 2013[/caption] "I was really eager to be part of the largest debating tournament on earth," says Lucas Danco. The 20-year old experiences his first Worlds and is enthusiastic. "It's totally fascinating to see so many different people from so many different cultures come together and compete by the same rules. " Lucas is one of 28 speakers from VDCH clubs that compete at the Worlds in Berlin. The umbrella association VDCH (Verband der Debattierclubs an Hochschulen, engl. Association of Debating Societies at Universities) represents more than 70 debating societies ...

Tobias Kube was awarded for being the most promising debater new on the German language deating circuit at the German Language Debating Championship in Vienna in June this year. Deutsche Debattiergesellschaft, the alumni debating society of Germany, grants this award every year to one of the up-and-coming debaters. Read here the interview of a first year who will soon be debating with and against old stagers at the Masters’ Cup in Eisenach. Read the complete interview in German.

 

To learn more about the astonishing success of the debater and medical student Jan Castel in the German version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?", please read the German version of the article. xzy / glx

 

The German public broadcaster ZDF is featuring a TV show named "I can chancellor". Allison Jones, a debater of Debattierclub Johannes Gutenberg from Mainz, made it to the final which will be broadcasted on May 1. See what she thinks on child beenfits and the like and watch the YouTube video featuring the four finalists.

Do you have a helping hand? Contact Marietta Gädeke via m.gaedeke@wudcberlin.com and learn more about how to help make Berlin Worlds 2013 a tournament to remember. Read the German version of this to learn more about the details. ...

Die gute Nachricht gleich mal vorneweg: Reinhold Koch vom Debattierclub München hat das Turnier beim International Debate Camp in Porto, Portugal, gewonnen. Lest hier den Bericht von G. Rhydian Morgan, der als Debattiertrainer schon die ganze Welt bereiste - diesmal das westlichste Land Europas. It started as an idea, back in November 2010, when the first Portuguese participants attended the renowned IDAS training held annually in Slovenia. Impressed and encouraged by the quality of instruction and the intensity of the programme, a group of debaters from the University of Porto Debating Society (SdDUP) headed by their President, Ary ...

Deutschlandradio interviewed Marcus Ewald, vice president of the umbrella organization Association of Debating Societies at Universities (VDCH or Verband der Debattierclubs an Hochschulen). To read what Marcus has to say on speaking in public, see the online version of the interview. xzy / apf

This article is not available in English. Please read the German version to learn about how Patrick Ehmann loves trees. ...

Why not marry your dog? Eva-Maria Risse, a former schools and university debater (DC Heidelberg and DC München), explains how she once debated a motion that suggested this. The renowned newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) interviewed her on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of "Jugend debattiert", German language schools debating. Please read the German version of this article for a ful cover-up on the interview. xzy / tr / glx / apf ...

It was a warm springtime day in Haifa, Israel when Anat Gelber and Michael Shapira married in the week before Passover. We from the team of Achte Minute congratulate the two of them and wish them all the best as they embark on their new life together! The both have a reputation as debaters on the international circuit. Anat Shapira, as is her name since the wedding, was a EUDC finalist in Zagreb in 2003 and in Cork, Ireland in 2005, both in the category of ESL, or English as a Second Language. In 2006, she was awarded Best Speaker (again ...

Magdeburg boasts to be a particularly active "student city". To prove this, some of the students are beeing interviewed from time to time. This time this is Jan Dirk Capelle who studies "philosophy-neuroscience-cognition" and helds the presidency of the local debating society. ...

While the suspended "Dr." (the German doctoral degree, equivalent to Ph.D.) of the German minister of defence is a hot media topic in Germany, the regional newspaper "Donaukurier" reported on two doctoral students at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt. One of the interviewees is Jan Lüken, currently president of the umbrella organization VDCH. He is writing his thesis at the Faculty of Economics in Ingolstadt. ...

Revelations of a great debater mind – or so he denies to be. Achte Minute was talking to Michael Shapira who won this year’s World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC or Worlds) at Gaborone, Botswana in the category “English as a Second Language” (ESL) together with his team mate Meir Yarom. The Israeli from the University of Haifa did not hesitate to reveal his strategy to us. Read how his friends and his mom celebrated him and where to meet him this year. Achte Minute: Dear Michael, congrats for winning the ESL title at the Worlds in early January. Being back home ...

Sorry, this article is not yet available in English. Please read the German version to learn more on how Andreas Lazar and his team mate from Debattierclub Stuttgart made it to ESL finals at WUDC 2011.

This article is not available in English. In case you want to learn more about gossips on Magnus Schmagold or Benedikt Nufer, it's a definite must you read the German version of this bit!

This article is a wrap-up of what German and international media write about the World Universities Debating Championships in Gaborone, Botswana. Please read the German version to learn about Israeli pride in their debaters, De Nederlands Debatbond and Justice Mothlabani's address to the debaters at Worlds. apf / glx ...

The current president of the EUDC Council, Jens Henning Fischer, has been elected president of the WUDC Council in Botswana tonight. He succeeds Sam Greenland from Sydney, Australia in office. It was in July this year when Jens had been re-elected EUDC president at Euros in Amsterdam. Two offices at the same time? No, Jens revealed to Achte Minute, he will resign from his office as EUDC president and announce a successor after consulting the committee. On board of his WUDC team are Steven Johnson (Alaska, USA) and Simone van Elk from The Netherlands. Steven is the new registrar, Simone functions ...

Six preliminary rounds are over, night has fallen over Botswana. Tomorrow will bring three more pre-rounds at Worlds 2011. These are going to be closed rounds – no feedback and no info on the ranking will leak from the judges. Socials tonight feature a “culture night”. No more complaints about waiting and queuing are to be heard in Gaborone, but speculations on the ranking of teams and institutions. The teams of Debattierclub Stuttgart feel fine with their performance, Andreas C. Lazar reported this morning: “Gaborone, 32 degrees Celsius. Both Michael [Saliba] and I (Stuttgart A) as well as Jana [Gilke] and ...

And the evening and the morning were the fourth day of Botswana Worlds 2011. Participants in Gaborone had just registered when the motion of round four was announced: “This house believes that independent central banks should set limits on government spending.“ Is the org comm in better control of the schedule today? Last night’s talent show must have been great – our correspondent Henrik Maedler seems to have liked it a lot: “Last night was ‘Recreation/Talent Night‘. Never thought I'd get to see Jamaican song, Jewish rap, and Botswanan dance in one evening ... good fun!” And always an issue ...

And the evening and the morning were the third day of Botswana Worlds 2011. People have just recovered from the ice breaking party when there are complaints about paranoia, the African heat and a belated adjudicators’ briefing – still more surprises for the international debating community from Worlds in Gaborone. However, the atmosphere is great thanks to good weather and friendly people all around, everybody appreciates. Henrik Maedler (Jacobs University Bremen Debating Society), being on his annual leave now in Botswana, felt followed around by his employer as a picture on “Your German Correspondent” proves. The Achte Minute editorial team sincerely ...

No water, no bread! A team from Serbia who wanted to immigrate fromSouth Africa to Botswana was - despite valid visas - defeated late last night by African bureaucracy, as Manos Moschopolous from Greece reported to Achte Minute. No drinks and food available at first for the Serbs around Milan Vignjevic, ESL quarterfinalist at the previous Worlds and co-convenor of the Belgrade Open 2011. Meanwhile, the OrgComm of Botswana Worlds talked to the Serbs, made food and drinks available and will help with all obstacles on early Tuesday morning, Manos released. Isabelle Loewe, Jens Henning Fischer and Henrik Maedler faced similar ...

We've got mail! Florian Umscheid and Moritz Kirchner from Wortgefechte Potsdam already have arrived at Worlds 2011 in  Gaborone, Botswana. The two German debaters briefly revealed their first impressions of Africa to Achte Minute. ...

The Botswana Worlds are right ahead of us, when next year's Manila Worlds already show up at the horizon – the chef adjudicators of the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC or Worlds) 2012, Sam Block and Lucinda David, have assigned their DCAs: Cormac Early, Tim Mooney, Masako Suzuki and Art Ward. Cormac Early is a member of the Harvard Speech and Parliamentary Debate Society and spoke in finals at numerous debate tournaments in the USA and Great Britain such as the Oxford IV. Among other competitions, Cormac was runner-up to Worlds in Koç, Turkey, this year and in Cork, Ireland, in ...