The Universidad Europea del Atlántico (European University of the Atlantic, UNEATLANTICO) held the in-person awards ceremony for the 6th edition of the Pan-American Pre-University Debate League, an event that brought together hundreds of talented young people from across Latin America. The competition took place virtually between 28 April and 29 May, under the central theme: ‘Should governments invest more in public infrastructure, even if this means raising taxes?’
In this edition, the Debate League managed to bring together more than 450 students from 15 countries, organised into 86 teams, who began their participation by completing a Training Course in Debate Fundamentals, taught by UNEATLANTICO. This training process allowed them to acquire essential tools in argumentation, public speaking and critical thinking, before facing an intense national competition phase.
Each country selected its champion team, which then represented its nation at the international stage. In recognition of their effort, commitment and quality of their speeches, diplomas and awards were presented during the in-person ceremonies to the champions, the best speakers and the most outstanding participants from each country.
The director of the Debate League at UNEATLANTICO, Luis Prado, participated in person in several of these ceremonies, particularly in Guatemala and El Salvador, where he presented the awards and offered words of recognition to the students and teachers who made this edition a success.
In addition, the winning teams not only won nationally, but also had the pride of representing their countries internationally.
Among them were Colegio Preparatoria Crismar, from Mexico; and Politécnico Profesor Raúl Horacio Cairo, from the Dominican Republic. In Central America, Colegio Bautista Internacional, from El Salvador; Colegio Teresiano, from Nicaragua; Macris School, from Honduras; Colegio Santa Teresa, from Costa Rica; Colegio La Preparatoria, from Guatemala; and Colegio Internacional del Caribe, from Panama.
In South America, the list of national winning schools is completed by Colegio Innova Schools in Peru, Colegio Domingo Savio in Bolivia, Colegio Salesiano Santo Domingo Savio in Colombia, Colegio Nuestra Señora de la Paz in Venezuela, Pedro de Valdivia Peñalolén ISP in Chile, and Colegio Centro de Desarrollo de la Inteligencia in Paraguay. Finally, it should be noted that Colegio Andes Innova in Ecuador was named the winner in the Ecuadorian phase, but was also crowned champion of the VI Pan-American Debate League.
With this initiative, UNEATLANTICO continues to promote the development of critical thinking, effective communication, and youth leadership at a global level, reinforcing the institution’s commitment to access to quality higher education.