A short video of melting ice in the Antarctic was enough to spark the interest of Moza Al Hajri, who has always been concerned about global warming and its impact on the environment – one of the most pressing issues in the global arena demanding the attention of governments, decision-makers and the world’s youth.
And it is the reason for Moza’s excitement at representing Qatar, and participating in debates and discussions about the environment and sustainability, in the Fifth International Schools Debating Championship.
Organised by QatarDebate, the debate tournament takes place until this Wednesday, 7 April, and for the first time, is being held in both Arabic and English languages, with 50 countries participating in each category. QatarDebate is a member of Qatar Foundation.
Moza, a member of the Qatari debate team at the championship, said that choosing sustainability as a topic for discussions in the tournament encouraged her to learn more about environment-related topics.
I have always been interested in these issues, and I have a passion to learn and study more about the environmental challenges facing the planet, and how to confront and address them. I believe that this tournament will represent an important opportunity for students from all over the world to learn about the dangers that facing the planet.
She said that it’s important to highlight the issue of sustainability as one of the most important ways of addressing climate change, global warming and other environmental risks.
Promoting awareness and critical thinking
Abdulrahman Al Subaie, Outreach Programs Manager at QatarDebate, said that debating tournaments are distinguished from other awareness activities in that they encourage debaters to explore issues and topics from various frames of reference.
Debaters, he said, have to study the various positions and viewpoints related to a topic, critique them and compare them.
We believe that by adopting the topic of sustainability in this championship, we will increase awareness among over 400 young debaters, and over 100 coaches and 100 referees, by exposing them to the issue of sustainability in a critical way, away from traditional or superficial awareness.
Speaking about the significance of the championship in both Arabic and English for the first time, Al Subaie said that QatarDebate has succeeded in being a flag carrier for the Arabic language around the world, and they are continuing to reach new student communities who are interested in learning the Arabic language in Asia, Europe and America.
At QatarDebate, we are working to spread awareness and a culture of critical thinking to all young people around the world. Adding the English language as a new category in the competition will further enrich dialogue and contribute to advancing our mission of building future leaders.
For more information about the tournament, visit qatardebate.org.
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