clair030

I asked a question. After some pretty nasty response initially, this is a thoughtful answer that I was originally seeking. Thank you. From Facebook: Thessaloniki WUDC 2016 Dear Alfred, a) There is currently no plan for Greece to leave the Eurozone and/or default on its debts, as confirmed in numerous statements by the European Central Bank , the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund , as well as the Greek and other European governments. There is also no mechanism to eject a country from the Eurozone, meaning that Greece can only leave the Euro voluntarily. The current government and the vast majority of the population are strongly against that. b) Speculation for a ' Grexit ', or Greece leaving the Eurozone, has been published by tabloid newspapers in Europe since 2009 without materialising. c) Even if Greece were to leave the Eurozone, it wouldn't also leave the European Union, limiting the impact of a 'Grexit' on issues such as travel or visas....

               April 7, 2015   Dear Friends of Boston Debate League,   It is our pleasure to share with you some exciting news coverage the Boston Debate League has received lately.   This past Saturday, the Boston Globe featured on the FRONT PAGE a story of championship debaters from New Mission/BCLA, who are heading to national tournaments in Texas and California, and discussed the power of debate to engage and empower students of all abilities:  With first taste of success, Boston students up for debate .   Earlier in March, the Boston Herald profiled the skilled debaters at Charlestown High School : Boston students make strong argument for debate teams.   The achievements of our Spanish-speaking debaters at Brighton High School were also showcased on WHDH ’s R...

Short Summary With the help of many sponsors debate training of school students is well underway in Palestine, and it will expand even without this campaign. A sponsor has agreed to fund a team to the World Schools Debating Championship in Singapore in July-August 2015. The five student team was selected in February. More training will happen in April and June.  BUT, we do not want them to arrive in Singapore never having been in international competition. Thus, this campaign is designed to raise money to send all team members and their teacher to the World Schools Debate Academy in Slovenia in late June. There they will learn from the world's best trainers as well as meet and compete against students from over 18 countries. That way they will be able to represent Palestine better and also learn to be teachers and leaders when they return to Palestine.  What We Need Here are the details: We need a total of $7000 to make this happen. Airfare 6 x $650, plus $2040 tuition, housi...

The World Debate Institute, Za in Proti Slovenia and Colleges Frere Bethlehem are proud to announce the students who will represent Palestine at the 2015 World Schools Debating Championship in Singapore. The students were selected through a rigorous process over two separate weeks of intensive training. After a week of training in December 45 students were named to the applicant pool. After another week of training in late February the five students to go to Singapore were chosen. After discussions with parents, George Naber named the five students. The students are Vanessa Abukova, Mulham Najajreh, Dana Ewaiwi, George Nicola Khalillieh and Nora Bisher Marzouqa.  Their coach will be Daisy Giacman. All students are from Palestine West Bank. The program is moving ahead due to substantial support from around the world. Along with WDI and ZIP, the USA Consulate in Jerusalem has provided sponsorship for the instruction and an as-yet anonymous donor from Singapore has sponsored the trip...

Gashora Girls lift a trophy after emerging best debaters last year. (Timothy Kisambira) http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2015-02-25/186314/ Let us promote debates in schools By:  PAUL SWAGA PUBLISHED:  February 25, 2015   Gashora Girls lift a trophy after emerging best debaters last year. (Timothy Kisambira) Paul Swaga I consider students’ active participation in debates as a good strategy that schools should adopt to empower young people with many important skills that adequately prepare them for adult responsibilities. Ideally, all schools should have vibrant debate clubs. There are quite a number of schools in this country that have always featured prominently in inter-school debates but others do not seem to be involving learners adequately in this activity. I think we should promote debates in all schools as part of the co-curricular activities. I would like to commend Rwanda Development Board and other non-government organisations like iDebate, for sponsori...

USA World Schools Debate Invitational – 2015 National Speech & Debate Tournament, Dallas, TX Call for International Teams The  National Speech & Debate Association  is proud to announce the  2015 USA World Schools Debate Invitational , to be held June 14-18, 2015 . The event will be hosted in Dallas, TX in combination with the National Speech & Debate Tournament, attended by more than 7,000 people. Teams from all nations outside the United States are invited to apply for an invitation. Preference will be given to the national teams recognized by the WSDC. There are a limited number international team entry slots available. Countries must request an invitation by March 10, 2015. Once your request is accepted, you will be provided with additional information on how to official enter the event and how to request invitation letters for visas. Each country whose request is accepted will be allowed to enter  one team  of up to five students into the tourna...

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/02/19/skills-for-success/ The skills Americans say kids need to succeed in life BY SARA GOO What are the best skills for kids to have these days? In today’s technology-driven world, is it best for children to hone their science and math skills to catch up with other countries that outperform the U.S.? Or is it best for them to be more well-rounded, with strong arts and athletic skills as well? Or perhaps parents should instead focus on encouraging less tangible skills in their kids, such as teamwork, logic and basic communication skills. Pew Research Center recently asked a national sample of adults to select among a list of 10 skills: “Regardless of whether or not you think these skills are good to have, which ones do you think are most important for children to get ahead in the world today?” The answer was clear. Across the board, more respondents said communication skills were most important, followed by reading, math, teamwork, writing and...