Jointly reported by:
Leah Leyi Beicht Jr2S(5)
Khoo Xin Yi Sr1ScA
Foo Xin Yu Sr2ScH
During the First semester mid-term break, Kuen Cheng High School English Debate Club organized an exchange programme with Shibuya Junior and Senior High School, along with Hiroo Gakuen Junior and Senior High School. The exchange programme was held from the 7th of June to the 9th of June with participants from all across Asia, including countries like Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Philippines. The aim of the programme was to strengthen the bonds of each school and help participants hone their debating skills.
Opening Speech by Lee Ke Yin
On the first day, the programme started with participants entering the Zoom meeting at 3:00p.m. An opening ceremony was held with speeches being given by the organizers, starting off with the Debate Club’s President, Lee Ke Yin. She briefly introduced Kuen Cheng High School’s history and background before giving her wishes to all the participants, hoping they would be able to meet like-minded debaters. Then, Anju Ito from Shibuya Association of Debaters gave her speech, starting with Shibuya Junior and Senior High School’s background while wishing participants the best of luck throughout the programme. Unfortunately, Ayaka Tsubota from the Hiroo Gakuen English Debate Club was not able to attend the first day of the programme, thus leaving her introduction to Ke Yin instead.
Opening Speech by Anju Ito
Hiroo Gakuen Junior and Senior High School Introduction
Following up, the teacher-in-charge of Kuen Cheng English Debate Club, Mr Chan Teik Onn, gave an opening speech, followed by Mr Ryuji Kitahara, a teacher from Shibuya Junior and Senior High School. Both teachers were delighted to have their schools collaborating with one another in the exchange programme and hoped to see participants bonding well together.
Opening Speech by Ryuji Kitahara
Without further ado, it was time for the ice-breaking session. Participants were split into groups of 5 to take turns introducing themselves and play a bonding game. The ice-breaking session lasted around half an hour, with a 10 minute break following up next.
After the break, the participants gathered back in the main Zoom meeting room as Anju shared some information regarding Pride Month. She spoke about the rights of those in the LGBT+ community along with the history of why we celebrate pride, especially in the forms of marches and parades. Such pride events are meant to bring self-affirmation and celebrate how far the community has come. Participants were later split up into groups to discuss the topic of gender issues and sexuality according to the given theme. Some participants did not hesitate to give their opinions on the matter and even shared how their culture views the topic, making the discussions both fruitful and interesting.
Pride Month Discussion
After wrapping up the discussions, Ke Yin concluded the activities for the time being, ending the first day of the exchange programme around 5:00p.m.
On the second day, the programme continued with participants joining the zoom meeting at 3:00p.m. sharp. Then the special guest, an 8-time Debate champion in competitions spanning multiple countries, Mr Ian Dylan Chai started a self-introduction before going on to present a lecture on argumentation and rebuttals.
Mr Chai gave thorough explanations on the basics of debate. He touched on topics such as generating good rebuttals and arguments. To help the participants understand the lecture, Mr Chai also gave sample arguments and encouraged participants to come up with reasonings and answer questions.
Sample Arguments
After his lecture, there was a small break before moving on to the next activity. The next activity was a small debate exercise. Participants were given a debate motion and were sorted into breakout rooms. Then, they were required to provide arguments for both government and opposition sides and discuss with their group members. After a lengthy discussion, they wrapped up the activity and headed back to the main meeting room to conclude the second day of the exchange programme.
Motions for Debate Exercise
On the last day of the exchange programme, the participants entered the zoom meeting at 3:00pm just like the previous days. Draws were then made to allocate each participant into a respective team and breakout room. However, there were some participants who did not show up, making the organizers change the rosters three times.
Draws & Allocations