Debate, A Game Changer
18 year old Michael Sarevellahr has never travelled in an airplane before, but he did so for the first time as a student debater to the World School Debate Challenge in Croatia last Saturday.
Michael a grade 12 student at Gerehu Secondary is amongst a five student debating team that travelled to Croatia last Saturday for the World School Debate Challenge set to take place on the 17th-24th of July.
“Its honor to represent the country and its also going to be my first time to fly in an airplane I haven’t even been to other provinces yet,” he says with excitement.
As a student of Gerehu secondary school he says his participation in the debate could change the negative perspectives that people have, “my school doesn’t have good public relations but this goes to show that it doesn’t matter where you come or what your skin color is as long as you have the brain.”
With a lot of peer pressure felt in high schools the young man is confident his debating skills can also change things, “debating has thought me to do good and to tell my friends to participate in the right activities.”
As a first timer in debating Michael says debate has opened his eyes “to see not only the Papua New Guinean way of doing things but also the world,” where he has come to know things and to be smart and energetic.
Prior to the World School Debating Challenge, Michael and his team had two weeks of intense coaching by past debaters and coaches and also had the time bond and to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
“What we did was so doing a lot of research and yeah it’s been tough.”
Besides debating the young man loves leading students and is confident of performing his very best.
“I am a first time debater and to me debating influences a young person to present their point of view to a wider audience and to inform the audience that life is not just about abiding by the rules.
“Sometimes the debaters have to make the rules and it presents an argument about the different side of life, that there is always a proposition and an opposition,” says Michael.
Around 600 students from 60 high schools around the world will be participating in this prestigious debate.
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