The International Debate Education Association is the world’s leading debate education provider working with governments and major international and corporate organisations to support young people with the development of critical thinking skills and engaged citizenship from Europe and the Middle East to North Africa and Central Asia. We engage corporate volunteers and university students to deliver peer-mentoring programmes via Debate Clubs through our network of universities, colleges, youth clubs and community training providers. Our vision is to ‘fuel the power of persuasion’ and by doing so provide marginalised young people the opportunity to develop advocacy and employability skills enabling them to be active, open, tolerant citizens in the 21st Century. We promote social mobility, social inclusion of marginalised young people by developing advocacy and employability skills such as critical thinking, critical consumption skills, divergent thinking, analysis, public speaking, active listening, advocacy and teamwork by mentoring them to debate issues important to them in weekly Debate Clubs and tournaments. In short we empower the enlightened community leaders of the next generation. Our charitable objectives include: • Developing the life, citizenship and employability skills of marginalised youth informally through debate education. • The promotion of cultural sensitivity and intercultural learning and dialogue between ethnic groups and faiths; • Fostering international understanding between individuals from different countries and building links between communities all over the world; • Enhancing awareness and knowledge of important issues affecting the lives of young people and the communities in which they live.
