The Connections Warren-Watchung Edition Apr/May 2025

KIDZ CONNECTION

PAGE 26

TEEN VOICE

nomic policy, local and global political views, etc. At 13 years old, I was exposed to issues in our world and how they were impact ing everyone. Suddenly the time I usual ly spent with my game zone seemed like wasted time when I could be learning something new. My mind opened up to things happening around the globe. Debate taught me research skills that helped me both in class and in debate tournaments. On the first day of high school, I remember my history teacher us ing the phrase, “Thinking like a Historian”. Thinking like a historian means not taking what we read at face value. He told us that we should try to uncover authentic sourc es that go in depth about whatever topic we are researching. We were encouraged to uncover factual evidence for every ar gument before forming an opinion. This to me was a new way of looking at things. It opened my eyes to new perspectives on topics that I thought I knew. Many ques tions crossed my mind and allowed me to think with a neutral eye until I could get my facts right. A debate tournament is nothing short of a roller coaster ride. It’s not just the top ic research but the ability to deliver your points and score points when the oppo nents have nothing for rebuttal. Convinc

ing the judges and winning a round is im mensely gratifying. To win, everything has to align properly – the research, articula tion of key points, speech delivery, body language, and appearance. Every little nu ance counts when it comes to debating.

Double Bind By Shrey Sharma

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hy debate? Why question some thing when the rule and policymakers have questioned it and arrived at the con clusion? How do we learn to know more about a topic and weigh in on different points of view? High School Debate teach es you that and much more. With the advent of technology and its penetration into the lives of humans, ev eryone these days seems to have an opin ion. The opinions however can be biased, twisted, and based on someone’s environ ment. In Public Forum (PF) debate, when we research a topic, we open it up without preemptive bias. After researching both sides of the resolution, we thoroughly understand the topic and form our argu ments based on the research. In debate rounds, we can be picked to debate either side. Our minds are open to seeing valid arguments on both sides. We also learn hy debate? Why question some

how to prepare for “rebuttals” against our opponent’s case by not taking a statement at face value but also questioning its accu racy and relevance. The public is conditioned to read some thing, contemplate it, form an opinion, and not go beyond that. PF Debate con ditions our minds to understand topics in greater depth and be able to speak on each side without emotional biases. Before I started PF debate, I would read current events on my computer and go over headlines when I was bored - read and forget. Like almost all kids at 10 years old, I was more interested in video games. Games were my passion and any loss of ac cess to them made me upset. Grave topics of the world made no impressions on my mind. Becoming a part of the debate team in middle school gave me an awareness and insight into deeper societal issues, eco

I believe this is the primary reason most PF debate alumni continue to associate with the club years after competing in high school. They come back either as judges, coaches, or even as audiences. There is a sense of satisfaction and pride that binds all debaters. They follow the sport (pro ceedings) with interest years after, which makes it all very special. Debate is one activity that prepares you for future success in life.

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