LUC students win European Universities Debating Championship

This weekend two LUC The Hague students, Daan Welling (third-year student) and Menno Schellekens (second-year student) won the European Universities Debating Championship (EUDC) in the 'English as Second Language' category.

The European Universities Debating Championship (EUDC) is an annual debating tournament attended by teams from universities in Europe. Debaters measure their strengths in critical thinking, public speaking and persuasion debating a plethora of global issues ranging from international relations through social policy all the way to rights issues. This year the Championship was hosted by the University of Begrade.

Menno Schellekens:
"Debating in Serbia, where many where oppressed for speaking their minds not long ago, was a powerful experience. Debate is always good fun, but our host nation reminded us it is also the expression of something precious: freedom of speech." 

Daan Welling:
“In the Netherlands you feel comfortable about your life. Freedom of speech is an abstract good. But walking around in Belgrade, being shown buildings by a taxi driver that were shattered in the war, and realizing that this competition was organized by an organization – Open Communication – that was banned only a decade ago: that makes you realize that freedom of speech is important. It is why EUDC isn’t just a competition: it has been a celebration of the important value of discussion”.

The competition features around 200 teams of two and over 150 judges and is as such the biggest and most prestigious non-sporting event for university students in Europe. It attracts high media attention in the host country as well as in participating nations. Attending students are agents of change in their local communities and more often than not surpass the boundries of their local environment. In a globalised economy and social sphere, issues should be recognized for their globality and the interconnectedness of stakeholders involved. Advocacy in hands of creative individuals is the best means of finding solutions to problems which not only affect local communities, companies and institutions, but people worldwide. Debating programmes strive to create the foundations upon which university students can achieve these goals.

Menno Schellekens:
"I am proud to study at LUC, because it is among the few institutions which are still dedicated to training critical thinking and fostering an atmosphere of respectful debate. Our small class-sizes allow for discussions in which everybody takes part. It makes LUC a special place to be educated."

LUC The Hague would like to congratulate Menno and Daan on this excellent achievement!