It’s not about the debate. It’s about making sense of the (sometimes overwhelming) global issues and the confidence that grows as a result.
Did you know? Debating is the largest club at The York School.
Ryan Cho, soft spoken and always curious, is also recognized as among the best Canadian high school debaters. Whether it’s about welcoming a green technology future, or fixing social isolation, Ryan knows that solutions to global challenges will come through dialogue.
“Watching people step up to make a difference fills me with confidence that the human race is fully capable of fixing the challenges faced on this planet.”
“We are a small dot on a giant map, and sometimes the issues heaped on top of each other can be overwhelming,” he says. “But debating the issues, analyzing them and exploring different perspectives is when they start to make sense and we get hopeful.”
“Watching people step up to make a difference it fills me with confidence that the human race is fully capable of fixing the challenges faced on this planet.” Ryan the debater believes in the limitless potential of humanity. His advice to the less hopeful? “Start with community and show how your little corner of work connects to the global issue.” It’s not all ‘sky is falling’ stuff in debating competitions, he adds. “Debating topics are as wide as the horizon.” Take, for example, culture and entertainment. Ryan once debated ‘whether Disney Princesses were good for kids.’ Ryan’s mother thinks he “might accidentally become a lawyer.” Ryan is not sure. Yet through debating he has learned about perspective and his place on that giant map.
With help from The York School Fund, Ryan represented York at the World Individual “Debate leads to awareness, and awareness Debate and Public Speaking Championships to action,” announces Cho. He says this not in South Africa (where he placed in the as an idealist, but with the conviction that it’s top 50). an irrefutable fact. “Debating helps me break down the big picture.” Ryan is inspired seeing positive action come from thorough discussion.
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