Home » Registration for the Youth Forum

Glossary of the terms

Here are some terms we use within the registration system and description pages about the Youth Forum that we believe might need and explanation

Youth Forum debater – are high school/secondary school students who have either not yet graduated or have graduated within the last 6 months prior to the Youth Forum. We are distinguishing between high school students that are graduates and the ones that will still continue with their secondary school education after the Youth Forum. Please check the respective track for eligibility for each of these categories.

Graduate – a student who is going to graduate from high school within the last 6 months prior to the YF.

Youth Forum coach – is an individual who has graduated high school/secondary school and is at least 20 years of old. Exceptions can be made at the discretion of the IDEA staff. It is utterly important that the individual speaks and understands English and s/he should be available to coach and judge for the Mixed Team Track.

Youth Forum trainer – is a carefully selected individual who provides training sessions during the Youth Forum. This individual has been selected by the Curriculum Committee using the open call, which specified the requirements and selection criteria. The trainer has experience and understands debate concepts and terminology used in various debate formats. S/he has acquired teaching methods appropriate for instruction within international environment.

A debate team - consists of three students. No two or four person teams will be allowed to compete and no substitutions will be made for 'sick' debaters at the KPWC or MTT tournament. The Tournament Director can allow exceptions from this rule in case of justified and objective reasons. The two member teams will be allowed in the BPT tournament, since that is in the nature of the BP format.

Track – these are event options. The Youth Forum lets you individualize the Youth Forum, to suit your current needs. If you are new to debate or Karl Popper debate format, you will most probably want to choose The Newcomers Track. If you are not graduating from your high school this year, you will be allowed to register for the the IDEA KPDC (granted you are coming for the whole YF) and Mixed Team Track. If you are a graduating this year after attending the KPDC, you will be allowed to choose from British Parliamentary, if you are into competing after high school or Capacity Building Track, if you want to develop yourself as the organizer, coach, trainer, etc.

The Mixed Team Track (MTT) is open for all high school students who are NOT graduates (see glossary of terms) and it focuses on instruction of high school students within mixed environment in the format of Karl Popper. Please see more here.

The Capacity Building track (CB) is open to all high school graduates and youth workers (18+) active or those who want to become more involved within debate network. Participants in this track will gain the skills and tools needed to strengthen their debate programs. Please see more here.

The British Parliamentary Track (BP) is open for all high school graduates. Priority will be given to those who have attended the KPWC 2008. The purpose of this track is to help the senior high schools students with the transition from high school to university debating - British Parliamentary Debate Format. Please see more here.

The Newcomers Track (TNT) - open for all high school students. This track is the only one that lasts throughout the whole Youth Forum (July 23rd to August 5th). Please note that participants of TNT will not be competing in the KPWC, nor joining in the Mixed Team Track. TNT is designed for debaters who have not been debating for more than one year in any debate format and for no more than six months in Karl Popper debate. Please see more here.

KPDC or the IDEA Karl Popper Debate Championship – is a tournament held in the beginning of the Youth Forum (July 23-27) in the Karl Popper debate format. Any 3-member team made of high school students is eligible to attend this competition. This tournament will feature two extended preparation topics and four limited-time preparation debate topics (announced at the Forum, 30 minutes prior to the round) in the area of Freedom of Speech.

The IDEA Mixed Teams Tournament - a tournament held in the end of the Youth Forum (August 2nd– 4th). It is not possible to attend the tournament separately without taking part in the Mixed Team Track of the Youth Forum. Any 3-member team made of non- graduate high school students is eligible to attend this competition. This tournament will feature one prepared topic and three limited preparation debate topics (announced at the Forum, 30 minutes prior to the round) in the area of Energy.

The IDEA British Parliamentary Debate Tournament – is a tournament held at the end of the Youth Forum (August 2nd– 4th) in the British Parliamentary style. It will feature 4 preliminary rounds, followed by semifinals and finals. There will be no prepared topic; all the topics are going to be announced 15-30 minutes. Eligible are only the high school students, who have graduated in the past 6 months prior to the Youth Forum. Preference will be given to those who attended the KP Debate Championship. It is not possible to attend the tournament separately without taking part in the British Parliamentary Track of the Youth Forum.