We are delighted to announce that Lindsays is sponsoring the Debate Mate Cup in Glasgow today (Wednesday 25 April) at the Royal Faculty of Procurators.
Now entering its 10th year, Debate Mate employs top university students to set up and run after-school debate clubs in areas of high child poverty. It started with 300 secondary school students just in London, and now its various programmes reach over 6,000 students per week in over 300 schools across the world. In 2015, Debate Mate started working in Scotland, reaching 27 secondary schools in both Glasgow and Edinburgh, and mentoring over 40 students aged 11-15.
Debate Mate is proven to develop key employability skills – critical and creative thinking, teamwork, communication, problem-solving and leadership – as well as improving resilience, empathy and confidence.
Robert Cranston, Senior Solicitor in our Dispute Resolution and Litigation team commented: “We are pleased to be supporting an organisation that works closely with students in Glasgow and Edinburgh, exposing them to potential career paths and developing confidence, teamwork, and effective communication – values that we share and promote.”
The Debate Mate Cup marks the culmination of a 17-week teaching programme, where some students will have progressed from having no experience of competitive debating, to delivering structured, reasoned, and eloquent 5-minute speeches in front of their peers. The competition gives students the chance to display the skills they have developed over the course of the academic year, and compete against their rival schools in three rounds of debating. The day’s two best-performing teams will reach the final, with a place at the National Finals Day in London to play for.
Robert added: “Members of our team will be supporting the event throughout the day, opening the competition, speaking in the Showcase Debate, and helping to judge the final. Debate Mate has a track record of delivering the skills necessary for students to pursue a career in Law, and we congratulate all the participants on their work and determination!”
We wish all students luck in their debates!