Association „Jaunimo debatai“ invites you to take part in the Youth debate competition! Join us and we promise you a lot of interesting topics, emotions, unforgettable memories and new experiences. All participants will be awarded participation certificates and merchandise of the Association, and the winners of the tournament will receive a special prize from the organisers and sponsors!
The tournament is open to all young people in Lithuania in grades 9-12. Don't have debating experience and don't know where to start? Feel free to sign up and our organiser team will provide you with training, all the necessary materials and remote consultations. If you want to take part in the competition, you must attend one of our training sessions.
Association „Jaunimo debatai“ is committed to the development of debate culture not only in Lithuania but also in Europe. That is why we foster existing partnerships and participate in projects and events abroad.
DNA stands for "Debate, not argue", and that is our goal - we want to create an environment where we can exchange views, experiences and debate, not fight over who is right and who is wrong.
At the end of February 2020, the Association, together with partners from 5 European countries, launched the Erasmus+ international project Debate Your Issue! (DYI) with the aim of tackling growing Euroscepticism, disinterest in the news and declining engagement in politics among young people.
Through the project, young people will learn to accept and understand other people's different opinions and to take responsibility for their own words, thus contributing to building a strong community characterised by respect for fellow human beings.
In autumn 2017, 47 Goethe Institutes in Europe came together for a joint project called Freiraum (German for "free space"). In order to better understand and immerse themselves in the respective local context, each institute chose a partner in their own home country.
The Goethe Institute in Vilnius invited our association to become a partner in this project, and so we became involved in this international project.
Each year, we organise a multi-day academic event for our members, the Summer Academy, where our members share ideas and present papers on topical issues. The aim of the Summer Academy is to bring together the members of the Association and to create a space for knowledge exchange, discussion and speakers.
Every year, the Association organises various training courses and seminars to improve young people's debating skills.
One example from the past is our summer camp, which you can learn more about here.
The Association also organises the "Alumni an Schulen" training sessions to introduce and prepare students for the "Jugend debattiert in Mittel-, Ost- und Südosteuropa" competition.
The Association has been organising various events for our members, one of which has been the Winter Academy.
Below you will find useful teaching materials and publications prepared by the Association „Jaunimo debatai“ to help you both to learn to debate on your own and to integrate debating in your classroom: