Fostering Leadership through Global Debates.
The Global Debates is an international debate education initiative and a global movement to equip young people with the knowledge, values, attitudes, and competencies they need to shape a better world for all.Move beyond the binaries TO LIve the
Global Debates Experience
Your experiences have the power to help you lead the change and transform our world!
The Global Debates was founded in 2016 to provide young people of all backgrounds the opportunity to develop debating, speaking, listening, and literacy skills through debate training and competitions that will ultimately improve self-esteem, collaboration, teamwork, academic achievement, and graduation success rates, and access to higher education. Global Debates aims to foster a sound and sustainable culture of debate and dialogue.
We believe that debate education is the key to the strengthening of democratic institutions, the realization of human rights, and the achievement of all international development goals; the development of human potential, poverty alleviation, and the fostering of greater understanding among peoples. Through debates, we aim to create an open and free society.
The Global Debates lays special focus on fostering awareness and discourse around the United Nations's Sustainable Development Goals with the sole aim of shaping aware, active and engaged global citizens and leaders of tomorrow equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills, and tools to communicate effectively and to address the local and global challenges and issues of the 21st Century.
The Global Debates' Experience is unique, time-tested, and one of the leading sets of programs in debate education, public speaking, and democratic-leadership development. The Global Debates' Four-Team Format is unique and acclaimed for developing sound thinking and decision-making skills. Our programs are designed to leverage the power of natural, social, and peer-to-peer learning through a heterogeneous group of learners in two age categories— ages 08 -17 and 18 - 27. Our fun and unforgettable debating and leadership-building experiences promote the development of self-esteem, independence, and responsibility for all debaters.
Global Debates is an independent, non-partisan, progressive initiative seeking to develop confident communicators, critical thinkers, and empowered global citizens and leaders —of today and tomorrow— equipped to shape a more just, inclusive, peaceful, secure, and sustainable future for all.
Global Debates Experience
Your experiences have the power to help you lead the change and transform our world!
The Global Debates was founded in 2016 to provide young people of all backgrounds the opportunity to develop debating, speaking, listening, and literacy skills through debate training and competitions that will ultimately improve self-esteem, collaboration, teamwork, academic achievement, and graduation success rates, and access to higher education. Global Debates aims to foster a sound and sustainable culture of debate and dialogue.
We believe that debate education is the key to the strengthening of democratic institutions, the realization of human rights, and the achievement of all international development goals; the development of human potential, poverty alleviation, and the fostering of greater understanding among peoples. Through debates, we aim to create an open and free society.
The Global Debates lays special focus on fostering awareness and discourse around the United Nations's Sustainable Development Goals with the sole aim of shaping aware, active and engaged global citizens and leaders of tomorrow equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills, and tools to communicate effectively and to address the local and global challenges and issues of the 21st Century.
The Global Debates' Experience is unique, time-tested, and one of the leading sets of programs in debate education, public speaking, and democratic-leadership development. The Global Debates' Four-Team Format is unique and acclaimed for developing sound thinking and decision-making skills. Our programs are designed to leverage the power of natural, social, and peer-to-peer learning through a heterogeneous group of learners in two age categories— ages 08 -17 and 18 - 27. Our fun and unforgettable debating and leadership-building experiences promote the development of self-esteem, independence, and responsibility for all debaters.
Global Debates is an independent, non-partisan, progressive initiative seeking to develop confident communicators, critical thinkers, and empowered global citizens and leaders —of today and tomorrow— equipped to shape a more just, inclusive, peaceful, secure, and sustainable future for all.
Leveraging Natural AND SOCIAL Learning
Our Pedagogical Approach
Promoting 360° Perspective and Understanding!
Our programs are interactive, engaging and experiential. We challenge our participants to apply the material they have learned in their sessions. Rather than just hearing and forgetting huge amounts of information, they put into practice the theories, tips, and techniques presented in the sessions.
Global Debates' approach fosters natural and social learning that ensures learning without the effort of learning. This helps many participants who have learner's fatigue to disconnect the activity from the stress of learning. Most participants would not even know that they are learning until they are asked to do self-evaluation. We believe the absence of the undertone of learning and the compulsion to deliver can help more participants to engage themselves positively in all our activities. For example, all our workshops include real-time show debates or solo presentations. Participants will prepare, organize, and present in front of their peers and/or parents. Our experience has shown that such exercises best develop, stretch, and solidify a child's understanding and grow their abilities in the core skills development that we are facilitating.
The emphasis on communication skills, logical thinking, social skills, positive attitude, sustainable development goals, learning and retention skills, and leadership skills can result in the overall positive development in the child, carving global citizens and leaders who can address the 21st-century challenges and issues. The programs are designed to foster 21st-century skill development aiming at a 360 degree socio-emotional, intellectual and functional development of the participants.
Our debate training programs are designed to teach participants the fundamentals of public speaking, leadership and argumentation skills that will enable them to unlock and unleash their confidence, self-esteem, critical thinking skills, creativity, and leadership. Our programs are usually format-agnostic and participants are prepared for both life and for competitive debate teams. Participants are provided with a safe and secure environment to improve their communication skills and develop democratic values.
Each of our programs has four levels of engagement — Foundational, Intermediate, Advanced and Professional. The activities and sessions are customized according to the duration of the engagement, size, and needs of the cohort.
Our workshops and programs can be tailored to focus on your students’ specific needs, such as a particular skill set, subject area or competition format.
Our Pedagogical Approach
Promoting 360° Perspective and Understanding!
Our programs are interactive, engaging and experiential. We challenge our participants to apply the material they have learned in their sessions. Rather than just hearing and forgetting huge amounts of information, they put into practice the theories, tips, and techniques presented in the sessions.
Global Debates' approach fosters natural and social learning that ensures learning without the effort of learning. This helps many participants who have learner's fatigue to disconnect the activity from the stress of learning. Most participants would not even know that they are learning until they are asked to do self-evaluation. We believe the absence of the undertone of learning and the compulsion to deliver can help more participants to engage themselves positively in all our activities. For example, all our workshops include real-time show debates or solo presentations. Participants will prepare, organize, and present in front of their peers and/or parents. Our experience has shown that such exercises best develop, stretch, and solidify a child's understanding and grow their abilities in the core skills development that we are facilitating.
The emphasis on communication skills, logical thinking, social skills, positive attitude, sustainable development goals, learning and retention skills, and leadership skills can result in the overall positive development in the child, carving global citizens and leaders who can address the 21st-century challenges and issues. The programs are designed to foster 21st-century skill development aiming at a 360 degree socio-emotional, intellectual and functional development of the participants.
Our debate training programs are designed to teach participants the fundamentals of public speaking, leadership and argumentation skills that will enable them to unlock and unleash their confidence, self-esteem, critical thinking skills, creativity, and leadership. Our programs are usually format-agnostic and participants are prepared for both life and for competitive debate teams. Participants are provided with a safe and secure environment to improve their communication skills and develop democratic values.
Each of our programs has four levels of engagement — Foundational, Intermediate, Advanced and Professional. The activities and sessions are customized according to the duration of the engagement, size, and needs of the cohort.
Our workshops and programs can be tailored to focus on your students’ specific needs, such as a particular skill set, subject area or competition format.
OUR PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH
Why Have the Global Debates' Edge?
Here are some of the many reasons why you should experience Global Debates:We Meet Them Where They Are and Provide a Safe Space.
We invite the learners to explore different perspectives, integrate diverse ideas, and express what is important to them through a process of exploratory learning using tools that are already familiar to them to shape them into better thinkers, decision-makers, and communicators equipped with future-ready skills that would enhance their academic performance, deepen their social-emotional learning and foster active global citizenship through debate education.Deepened Social-Emotional Learning.
We embed narratives that challenge the students to develop and strengthen empathy, respect for others’ points of view, and responsible and ethical decision-making when exploring new or complex situations, challenges, and ideas.Enhanced Academic Performance.
The Global Debates Experience sparks curiosity and a growth mindset. Improves language comprehension and provides practice in backing up arguments with examples and evidence, a key focus of SAT examination.Better Thinkers.
Demonstrable improvement in critical, creative, analytical and lateral thinking.
Better Decision-Makers.
Global Debates gives students the experience of producing original and balanced arguments, fosters a 360-degree understanding of issues, and equips participants to logically and sensitively process information. The Global Debates Experience shapes participants into better leaders by boosting their confidence, teamwork, and clarity of thought through developing social and emotional skills, team-building activities, group discussions, strategy huddles, and opinion-making.Fostering Active Global Citizenship Through Debate Education.
Demonstrable improvement in oracy, argumentation and presentation skills. Boosts cognitive skills, meta-cognitive skills, socio-emotional skills, research skills, active listening, knowledge acquisition, and vocabulary acquisition.Building Kinder Brains
Beyond the black-and-white view of issues, the Global Debates format nurtures kinder, more compassionate brains. It's a platform meticulously designed to delve into the nuances, encouraging participants to explore the shades of grey within complex topics. Through this process, it cultivates empathy by unveiling the layers of different perspectives, fostering an understanding that transcends mere exchange of arguments.Fostering Active Global Citizenship Through Debate Education.
The experience fosters awareness, discussion, and debate around the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Sparks ideas around how individuals and entities could positively impact the realization of the SDGs and associated targets. Fosters spiritual, ethical, social, cultural, and civic education.Get Involved!
Empowering Youth Voices
Partner with us
Global Debates works with companies, governments, international development agencies, charitable foundations, educational institutions, and individuals to advance debate education in both formal and non-formal education to foster a sound culture of debating amongst young people and educational leaders. If you would like to partner with us, please send us and email.
Partner with us
Global Debates works with companies, governments, international development agencies, charitable foundations, educational institutions, and individuals to advance debate education in both formal and non-formal education to foster a sound culture of debating amongst young people and educational leaders. If you would like to partner with us, please send us and email.
Building Confident Communicators
Intern with us
Global Debates offers internships in partnership with the Global Citizenship Foundation through their internationally acclaimed Mentor-Intern Program. Do visit the Mentor-Intern Program webpage.
Fostering Future Leaders
Start a Global Debates Club
To start a Global Debates Club at your institution, write to us.