The Universidad Europea del Atlántico (European University of the Atlantic, UNEATLANTICO) is organising the sixth edition of the Panamerican Pre-University Debate League, which started yesterday, 29 April, and in which eighty-six teams from fifteen Latin American countries will participate. Schools from Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic and Venezuela will be represented.
It is important to note that, prior to the competition, a course on the fundamentals of debate will be given to the 450 students from different schools participating in this new edition. The purpose of this training is to provide the participants with tools to develop their oral expression, reasoning and research skills, promoting critical and communicative thinking.
As in past editions, a National League will be held where the theme this year will be ‘Should governments invest more in public infrastructure, even if it means increasing taxes? The winning teams at the national level will have the opportunity to represent their country in the VI edition of the Pan American Debate League. In this international round, the topic on which the debate will focus will be ‘Should Latin American countries have a common policy to address the region’s social and economic problems?’
As in previous editions, UNEATLANTICO will recognise the champion team, the finalist and the best speaker of this VI edition of the Debate League. The organisers of the event wish every success to all the participating teams, in the hope that this experience will be enriching and formative for each of the students involved.