Young Montrealers mastering the art of debate

Once common in schools, debate clubs have dwindled in Quebec. Educators warn students are losing key critical-thinking skills as programs shrink.

Debate clubs were once a common extracurricular activity at most schools, but their numbers have steeply declined in recent decades.

In Quebec, there are only four schools in the province’s English-language league that regularly compete.

Whether it’s due to funding cuts to extracurricular programs or focus on sports, Quebec Student Debating Association President Jonathan Bracewell said students are losing out on learning an important life skill.

“At this particular moment in history, I think critical thinking might be the thing that is most important for every child to learn. And that’s a big concern,” he said.

Young students from four schools gathered for a tournament hosted by Alexander von Humboldt School in Baie-D’Urfe on Wednesday for several rounds of debate.

Organizer David Smith said it was a chance for junior debaters to get some much-needed practice and points toward competing nationally.

“It helps them with clear thinking, logical thinking, with research, with speaking skills, with rhetorical skills and it’s a great team exercise,” he said.

Competitors don’t get to choose the topic, nor which side they are on. They only have 15 minutes before each round to come up with their arguments. Each side takes a turn presenting their case, summarizing that of its opponents, and rebutting their arguments.

“The best debaters are the best listeners, even more than the ones who speak so well,” said Bracewell, who was a judge at the competition and leads the debate team at Selwyn House.

Some participants said they’ve already found debating useful for navigating day-to-day life.

“I’ve learned that in the future, I’m going to need it a lot, even if I’m not a lawyer, for example, or a job that needs debating,” said Sophie Jasinski. “I’m going to need debating at some point in life”.

Her teammate, Gal Weissenberg, agreed. “I’ve learned how to argue better and make better arguments.”

Other junior debaters said it can be intimidating at first to get up in front of others and speak, but with experience, it becomes fun.

“Debating is an amazing way to practice seeing from other perspectives other than your own,” said Tycho Vesely. “Seeing as someone else, looking through someone else’s eyes and thinking from someone else’s mind.”

His teammate Liam Sarhan said it’s helped him understand others who think differently.

“It just helps me see sort of the whole picture rather than just one side.”

Smith said debating equips students to go against groupthink and respect those who have different opinions.

“In the last generation, we feel like our opinions are increasingly part of our personal identity. Our personal identity has become really the most important thing about us in this age where everyone is promoting themselves online and through social media,” he said.

“It’s really difficult for us to back down from a position to modify that position, to think differently about that position.”