Programs

The debate program

The young people in Kosovo are facing lack of opportunities developing their critical thinking; this affected the citizens not to have confidence to talk publicly about their problems. Decisions taken by the local and central level are not filtered in a good way so the application of laws and verdicts of the executive authorities are faced with great difficulties. Kosovo citizens are served with unstructured public debates and fail to hear debates on policies or values. Young people no longer have the opportunity to develop their rhetoric potential. Critical thinking is an extremely important component of learning for young people.

The debate is the oldest tool of policy making and participation of citizens in decision making. Debate develops the skills of argumentation and rhetoric and critical thinking. The debate is a very efficient form of non-formal education. Debating Program is an important component of the organization which will serve to create a culture of debate as a form of participation in decision making. The program will focus the next 3 years in high schools, creating debating clubs and develop the Karl Popper debating format, which is used in different countries of the world. This format is applied in high schools and has a structure which is respected during the debate.

We will work on founding the debate program in the university level as well, respectively establishing debating clubs of parliamentary debate format, in the Public University and private Universities in Kosovo. The debate will also help in strengthening the concept of an open society by facilitating communication between young people from Kosovo with youth from other countries of the world.