Debate camp 2017 : A success !
From July 19th to 24th 2017, FOKAL’s Youth Initiative Program brought together young debate leaders, coaches and judges for the program's traditional annual debate camp, held in the town of Jacmel at the Eco-Resort des Orangers ( HERO). During 5 days, two tournaments took place. First the semi-finals and the final of the national tournament, then the mixed debate club tournament.
Côte-Plage, 2017 Champion of the National Club Debate Tournament
After several failed attempts to win the tournament, Côte-Plage club returns to the saddle by winning by a large margin on Sunday, July 23, 2017, at the summer camp of debate of FOKAL in Jacmel. Their oponent, the formidable team of Jacmel, twice regional champion, made up of Kesly DADE, Brunet BLAISE and Grégory JEUDY gave them a worthy match. The team of Côte-Plage, composed of Gumbs CHARLES, Clartie Maeva SALOMON and Eud Jordan GEORGES, won this intense final.
After a semi-final that Jacmel won against the team of Christ-Roi, and Côte-Plage against Les Cayes, the outcome of the final between the winning clubs was very uncertain, as they were both champions of the 2 regional tournaments that took place respectively in April and May 2017. Both teams are excellent and catchy, the debaters motivated and determined debaters and their dedicated coaches confident.In the end, Côte-Plage won this debate on a subject in Creole, "Tout migran ki ilegal ta dwe jwenn papye rezidans li aprè 5 lane li pase nan peyi kote li chwazi viv la", (All illegal migrants should receive their residency after living 5 years in the country they chose to live in ) with the score of 4 to 1, afterwards. Added to the title of "National Champion 2017", the young debater of Côte-Plage, Gumbs CHARLES, was designated "Best Debater" of this national tournament of the clubs. Côte-Plage has thus achieved a double trophy in this final phase of the competition, an exceptional performance that deserves notice.
SAROKI champion !
The Mixed Teams Debate Tournament (TDEM) is in its second edition. Its aim is to teach young people of different backgrounds, clubs, and levels to work together towards a common goal: to debate together to win. Each of the teams involved in this tournament has been arbitrarily composed on the spot in the summer camp. They must be composed of young people of both sexes and different clubs, and supervised by a coach who does not come from their club of origin. The TDEM makes it easier for young people to get closer together, greatly reduces tensions due to rivalries between clubs. It clearly improves the coaching of animators working with young people not from their clubs, reinforces the responsibility of the coaches. All youth participate in the tournament which improves the relationships between all participants and the overall atmosphere of the camp.
This year, SAROKI's team, composed of Anne Kimberley PIERRE (FPA), Roodney BARTHELMY (BMC), Salaéta MONVAL (CPL), coached by Edwin PIERRE-LOUIS, the host of the club of Cap-Haitien, was champion of this 2017 edition, after an unfortunate final for the ONYX team. However, the ONYX team did well, as a member of the team, Pouchenie BLANC (CAP), was named Best Debater of this tournament.
TDM in a few figures: 14 debate clubs mobilized, 16 teams engaged, 48 debaters, including 22 girls (46% of the debaters), 20 coaches, 33 judges, 39 games played, 2 topics debated: 1. Open societies require open borders. 2. The Haitian State should require the return of Haitian scholarship holders abroad during a specified period.
All the results and scores of the teams, as well as the points and the ranking of the debaters, can be found on the program's blog.
A rewarding tournament
The tournament this year was marked by some new features:1. Live streaming of some debates on the FB page of the program2. A Surprise Topic for the finale of the National Clubs Tournament 3. More leisure time and excursions4. A demonstration of debate in the World School Debating Championship format, which will be introduced next year in the program Participants were introduced to the program AJULIH / Education citoyenne of FOKAL, by its coordinator Carine Schermann. The programming also included interventions for the benefit of the debaters. Ronald Andris, historian and sociologist, spoke on the issues and challenges of migration, and Danièle Magloire gave a presentation on the values of human rights.In a nutshell, the camp took place in a good atmosphere, with entertaining and educational activities in parallel with the tournaments. A tourist excursion took place, for example, to Bossier Pond and then through the town of Jacmel where campers visited the historic center of Jacmel, Place d'Armes, Lakou New York and the built heritage (Gingerbread houses) from the city.The prize-giving ceremony and the announcement of the results took place on Sunday evening, 23 July, during a gala in the presence of FOKAL's President Michèle Pierre-Louis and Program Director Elizabeth Pierre- Louis Augustin. The activity ended with the tone of the music and the organizers made an appointment for next year!
