WUDC Book

debating comes home thessaloniki wudc 2016

36th World Universities Debating Championship Under the Auspices of the Municipality of Thessaloniki and the Regional Administration of Central Macedonia

Ρητορική Εταιρεία Ελλάδας Debating Society of Greece

Hosting Society Debating Society of Greece

The Debating Society of Greece is a non-profit organisation. It was founded by a group of experienced Greek debate coaches and organisers in order to provide debate training to young people in universities, schools and community centres, to run programmes that achieve social and cultural aims through communication and public speaking, to organise local and international debating tournaments.

The organisation aims to help create a culture of dialogue in Greece at a time when the economic crisis, the subsequent austerity measures and the increasing polarisation of political discourse have led to the breakdown of the Greek social fabric and the rise of violent attacks on marginalised and vulnerable social groups.

Fields of interest and activity

We organise international tournaments for university students, bringing youth together from across Europe to exchange views and create lasting friendships. We also run international public debates with the help of new social networking and video technologies, connecting speakers and audiences across state borders to show that our goals, dreams and challenges transcend national boundaries and require common answers.

Our international events complement our training programmes in Greek schools and universities which teach young people argumentation, public speaking and critical thinking. We believe in the power of debate to transform politics, communities, and lives.

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Debate and Public Speaking Events hosted and organised by the Debating Society *29 April 2015, Negotiations Workshop in Athens

A negotiations workshop, in collaboration with ThinkBiz, the student group for entrepreneurship of AUEB. *19 Jan 2015, Debatable, Debating Workshop and Public Debate, Patras

An adult-oriented workshop in debating and public speaking skills, which included team building games, open discussion and debates about crucial issues that dominate in the Media. * 31 Oct-2 Nov 2014, Thessaloniki Open 2014, European Debate Tournament

With the precious support of the Centre for Democracy and Reconciliation in Southeast Europe and the Association for Democracy in the Balkans we proudly presented Thessaloniki Open 2014, an international debating tournament, participating officially in the “Thessaloniki-European Youth Capital 2014” programme. * 16 Oct 2014, European Day Against Human Trafficking, Public Debate, Athens

We participated in the open event organised by the Office of the National Rapporteur on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (human trafficking), in the institution “Michalis Kakoyannis”, to mark the European Day Against Human Trafficking. * 9-11 May 2014, EYE 2014, Ideas for a Better Europe, Debate Competition, Strasbourg

The Debating Society manned the Greek Delegation in the European Cup-Public Debate Competition held in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, organised by the League of Young Voters, aiming to highlight issues relevant to the European elections through structured debates and interactive discussions. * 22 Mar 2014, One Day Debating Tournament at Deree College

The first ”One Day Debating Tournament” which was held in the DEREE - The American College of Greece in Athens was organised by the Deree College Debating Club and supported by the Debating Society of Greece. * 19-21 Dec 2013, “Tournament without a name”, Skopje

An exchange tournament between university students from Greece and FYR of Macedonia took place in Skopje. * 4 Nov 2013, Dialogue without Borders II- Dialog ohne Grenzen II, Live Debate

Greeks and Germans in Thessaloniki and Mainz discussed their shared future on the topic “Europe: Political Union or Trade Bloc?”. The debate was part of the “Dialogue Without Borders” series . * 26-29 Jul 2013, Patras Open International Debating Championship

The Patras Open Debating Tournament offered top level competition, excellent adjudication and workshops conducted by some of the best debaters in the world. * 24 Jun 2013, Dialogue without Borders - Dialog ohne Grenzen, Live Debate

DSG started a direct dialogue between the youth of Greece and Germany, through a series of public debates held in both countries and linked by technology. The project was run by IDEA UK in partnership with the Greek office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and the Debating Society of Greece. The motion of this first debate was: “AUSTERITY: Virtue or downfall?”.

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About WUDC

This tournament is the world’s largest debating competition, and one of the largest annual international student events in the world. The inaugural Championship was hosted by the Glasgow University Union in January 1981, with 43 teams from 7 nations competing. Since then it has dramatically grown to an event that hosts over 400 teams (each comprised by two students), representing more than 380 universities from 80 different nations.

Students from the World’s best universities regularly compete. Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Yale, MIT, Stanford, Monash, Sydney and dozens of other world class institutions send their best students. As a result, being crowned ‘World Champion’ is one of the most prestigious titles a student can attain.

The Organising Committee of Thessaloniki WUDC 2016 consists of 30 people, aged 20 to 30 years old, experienced in debating and organising educational events.

Until today, the members of our Organising Committee have organised numerous successful domestic and international tournaments. Among those are Patras Open, Thessaloniki Open, Athens Open, the Athens World Schools Debating Championship in 2009 and other large-scale domestic tournaments.

9 Days 70 Countries 200 Volunteers 380 Universities 1500 Students

Thessaloniki WUDC

The schedule for the WUDC 2016 in Thessaloniki combines high-quality debate with the world reknown Greek hospitality. The competition takes place from the 27th of December 2015 to the 4th of January 2016.

The detailed scheduled is designed carefully, aiming to offer the most inclusive experience possible and give the participants the opportunity to get to know the host city and enjoy a high-quality event.

27 DECEMBER 2015

• Arrivals • Pre-Tournament Workshops • Welcome Drinks

28 DECEMBER 2015

• Pre-Tournament Workshops • Masters and Public Speaking Preliminary Rounds • Tournament Briefings • Opening Ceremony - Held in the Vellideio Conference Center, this is a formal event where the organisers present the city, the sponsors and the volunteers of the event

29 DECEMBER 2015

• Preliminary Rounds 1-3 • Training Workshops • Social

30 DECEMBER 2015 • Preliminary Rounds 4-6 • Training Workshops

• Women’s Night - An engaging and entertaining evening which aims to promote event whose aim is to promote the participation of young women in debating, and to raise issues regarding inclusivity in academia, the workplace, and society at large

31 DECEMBER 2015

1 JANUARY 2016

• Council Meeting • Excursions • Next Host’s Night - The next host of WUDC will provide a taste of the experience they are preparing for 2017

2 JANUARY 2016 • • • • • • •

Open Partial Double-Octo-Finals ESL Quarter-Finals Open Octo-Finals EFL Semi-Finals Open Quarter-Finals Masters and Public Speaking Finals Party

3 JANUARY 2016

• ESL Semi-Finals • Open Semi-Finals • Grand Finals: EFL Final ESL Final Open Final • Championship Dinner and Awards -the Grand Finals followed by the Closing Ceremony will be a fitting epilogue to the 2016 Worlds University C h a m p i o n s h i p .

This is a formal event including key-note addresses from prominent speakers

4 JANUARY 2016

• Free day • Preliminary Rounds 7-9 • Departures • Break Night - On New Year’s Eve the announcement of the teams that proceed to the Octofinals of the Championship will take place. The Thessaloniki 2016 Break Night Party is going to be held in the Capsis Hotel.

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Previous Hosts

2015 UT Mara, Malaysia 2014 Rajalakshmi Engineering College, India 2013 Berlin Debating Union, Germany 2012 De La Salle (Manila), Philippines 2011 University of Botswana, Botswana 2010 Koรง University, Turkey 2009 University College Cork, Ireland 2008 Assumption University, Thailand 2007 University of British Columbia, Canada 2006 University College Dublin, Ireland 2005 Multimedia University, Malaysia 2004 Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 2003 Stellenbosch University, South Africa 2002 University of Toronto Hart House, Canada 2001 Glasgow University Union, Scotland, United Kingdom 2000 University of Sydney, Australia 1999 Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines 1998 Deree- The American College of Greece, Athens, Greece 1997 Stellenbosch University, South Africa 1996 University College Cork, Ireland 1995 Princeton University, United States of America 1994 University of Melbourne, Australia 1993 Oxford Union Society, England, United Kingdom 1992 Trinity College Dublin, Ireland 1991 University of Toronto Hart House, Canada 1990 Glasgow University Union, Scotland, United Kingdom 1989 Princeton University, United States of America 1988 Sydney University, Australia 1987 University College Dublin, Ireland 1986 Fordham University, New York, USA 1985 McGill University, Montreal, Canada 1984 Edinburgh University, Scotland, United Kingdom 1983 Princeton University, USA 1982 University of Toronto Hart House, Canada 1981 Glasgow University Union, Scotland, United Kingdom

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Publicity and Media Coverage

Our experienced media team is working hard to create a powerful network of media collaborators, in order to promote this huge event and its supporters in the best way possible.

In our attempt to cover the entire media spectrum, we have secured the support of significant national media groups, such as MEGA Channel, historic regional media outlets, such as Makedonia newspaper, and some of the most popular Greek opinion websites, such as protagon.gr and aixmi.gr.

These Media Partnerships will soon be followed by more. As a result, this World Universities Debating Championship is going to have an impressive media presence, with a constant flow of new material that will facilitate the continuous promotion of WUDC 2016.

Of course in this day and age we recognise the significance of social media and for that reason we are building and maintaining a strong presence on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Our Facebook page “Thessaloniki WUDC 2016 “ has more than 3000 followers and grows at a rate of 15% every week. This rate is going to double in the coming months, during the various stages of our registration process, and will intensify further in the last 3 months prior to the tournament, as participants prepare to join us in Thessaloniki.

Following you can see some of our significant and varied Media Partners:

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Your Opportunity Why Debate?

Debate teaches you to think. It sharpens the ability to research and analyse problems, express thoughts fluently and communicate effectively with others and at the same time, it enhances confidence and social consciousness. Debaters are distinguised for their excellent communication skills, confidence but also tolerance and respect for different points of view.

This is a unique opportunity for Greek students to interact with the international debating comunity, to engage in debates on issues of global importance, and to develop their communication and critical thinking skills.

Today’s debaters are tomorrow’s leaders.

Why WUDC?

By sponsoring this unique event, your organisation can help make this event a success, and together we can create a memorable experience for all attendees.

Through sponsorship of this unique event, your organisation will be promoted to over 1,500 participants and to thousands of viewers worldwide, opening the door to new customers, collaborators, and supporters and possible future employees.

Sponsorship Benefits

In order to best demonstrate the opportunities available we have prepared a set of sponsorship benefits that are sure to appeal to your organisation. We are flexible in all relevant aspects and would be happy to work with you to develop a tailored solution that meets your needs.

In the following pages you can find a taste of some indicative benefits that include and are not limited to:

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• Your logo in our bi-monthly newsletters & all our Press releases • Banner with your logo and links to your website on our websites (debating.gr and thessaloniki2016.com), and the official WUDC App • Mention of your company and logo in the welcome pack,participants’ handbook, badges, advertisements, and all other printed material distributed to the participants and in the city of Thessaloniki itself • Your logo on the publicity banner, on site during WUDC • Your logo and / or write-up in the Tournament’s official magazine, which is going to be distributed not only in the participants but also in the city of Thessaloniki • Your logo and / or write-up in the Tournament’s official Facebook Page, Twitter & Instagram • Your logo on the live- streaming page of the tournament, which attracts 20000 unique visitors daily.

• The opporunity to set up a booth in the tournament venues for promotional activities • Your banner on site during the WUDC

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• Mention of your company and logo in the welcome pack,participants’ handbook, t-shirts, badges, advertisements, and all other printed material distributed to the participants and in the city of Thessaloniki itself • The opportunity to give free samples of your products on-site to the 1500 participants and volunteers • Invitations to our opening and closing ceremonies as well as the Grand Finals of the tournament • Mention of your company in all our thank you speeches • Your logo in all promotional and recap videos

Grand Partner’s Benefits: • The ability to host a workshop between preliminary rounds • The ability to participate in our pre-WUDC event, an introductory workshop on public speaking and debating held in Thessaloniki • Speaking Rights at an event of your choice • Advertisment or video of your company during our live streaming breaks • On-stage branding in all public rounds

Tailored Sponsorship Packages

We can create a tailored sponsorship package for your company, if you are interested in one particular event during the tournament.

We are open to the possibility that, instead of a general sponsorship, you may undertake the exclusive funding of a social event, possibly under the form “Powered By...”, if it were the case that such a sponsorship would better convey your corporate personality.

The possible events include our Opening and Closing Ceremonies, the Women’s Night and the Grand Finals, as well as the public speaking competition, the master’s debate tournament and the octos and semis of the tournament.

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debating comes home Contact us: info@debating.gr www.debating.gr thessaloniki2016.com