Become a better coach and judge under the supervision of experienced trainers!

This track will be taught by Branislav Fecko-Cegin, Claudia Newman-Martin, Sharon Porter and Andrej Schulcz.

IDEA has decided to change the nature of the formerly known Capacity Building Track as we felt that more emphasis should be placed on improving judging and coaching skills in general. Therefore we have decided that this years’ CJT will be open also to the coaches participating in the KPDC and traditionally to all high school graduates. So if your organization has active volunteers (youth workers older than 18), whom you need to develop but don’t have the time or resources to do so, send them for the Youth Forum’s CJT!

This track helps experienced debaters transition into being coaches, judges, trainers or debate program developers. It will also help the coaches become even better in their teaching, judging and leadership skills. Participants will learn about crucial educational and practical tools necessary for educators.

“I believe this track took it a step feather and tried to shape our individual debate realities by helping us to find ways to address issues we face locally. There was agreement in the lab that by using the teaching methods employed here, we can change the world.”

Ignacio Evans, Towson University, participant of the track in 2007

You will learn more about:

• organizing debate events – public debate, tournament, workshops, camps
• art of judging and coaching
• coaching and teaching debate
• judging on an international level

want to know how was it in the past? watch Vratko’s video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjuCMNwZ4dw

You will have chance:

• to participate in group sessions giving you basic introduction into above mentioned areas
• to work individually or in small group
• to join in small group problem-solving discussion
• to become a real-life coach of one of the mixed teams

Wanna see who the winner of the Youth Forum tracks were?

Click here to find out! And this is how they prepared in the Mixed Team Track labs.

Read more about the trainers who will teach you!

Branislav Fecko-Cegin started debating 9 years ago. Since then he has become a true debate enthusiast. He has been involved with various national and international debate tournaments – National high school competition in Slovakia, Allen & Overy Debate Tournament in Prague 2007, Youth Forum 2007 in Czech Republic. As a judge his most notable success was judging the Final Round of the World Schools Debating Competition in 2008. Brano has 4 years of debate training experience in Slovakia. He has organized and trained at numerous debating seminars; teaching debate basics as well as training new judges. He has been the Convenor of the Allen & Overy international debate tournament in Prague in 2008. Currently Brano is a member of the National Trainers’ Team in Slovakia dealing with methodology, seminars, trainings, tournament organization and the choice of debated motions. Brano studies international politics and diplomacy at the Economics University in Prague.

Claudia Newman-Martin believes that debate can be a tool for future generations to bridge the gaps that presently exist in our understanding of other cultures. Born and bred in Canberra, Australia, Claudia has been an active member of her school, college, state and national debating community. She has been involved in debate from year 7 onwards and loves to share her passion with others. In her fourth year of a combined degree in Law and International Relations at the Australian National University, Claudia is heavily involved in her university community and was student President in 2007. This allowed her to use all the advocacy skills that debating builds by arguing students’ cases to the university. In her spare time, she enjoys working at a law firm in order to save for her many travels. Through her travels, Claudia has developed a desire to spend her life advocating for those without a voice and has spent time working with communities in Mali, Fiji, and her local area.

Sharon Porter was hired at NAU in 1981 to be the Director of Forensics (competitive speech and debate). She served in that position from 1981 to 1992 and again from 1999 to 2004, with a break from 1993-1999 during which she was the Director/Dean of the School of Communication. Her contributions to the forensic community resulted in receiving a number awards including the Quintilian Award and two Distinguished Service Awards (from Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha and the American Forensic Association -National Individual Events Tournament).
She completed her term as President of the National Parliamentary Debate Association in March. Shortly after retirement she was asked to become a consultant for the International Debate Education Association (IDEA).
Her position with this organization was to design and implement accreditation standards to ensure quality control of IDEA member NGO's and International Trainers. Her work with IDEA has taken me to Estonia (Youth Forum), China, Turkey, Macedonia (Youth Forum), Romania (Youth Forum), Italy and the Netherlands.

Andrej Schulcz started debating while in high school in 2003. Shortly afterwards, he became a coach and judge. In 2006, he was appointed Chief Adjudicator of the Slovak Debate Association. Since then he has trained debaters, judges, coaches and teachers on several occasions. He has also written or edited several articles and handbooks on debate and argumentation. He was on the local staff of the 2007 Youth Forum and a trainer at the 2008 Youth Forum. He studies political science and sociology at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic.