Join the Debate!

This month, Policy Center for Roma and Minorities is recruiting teachers for the third year of Debate House, a project that promotes multiculturalism, active citizenship and human and minority rights in Romania through the involvement of middle school and high school teachers and students in a series of seminars and debates during the 2011-2012 school year. Started in 2008 with support from the Open Society Institute in Budapest, Debate House 2011-2012 is funded by the Soros Foundation Romania and supported by partners One World Film Clubs and ARDOR (the Romanian Association for Debate, Oratory and Rhetoric).

We are reaching out to children, youth and teachers, as the persons best positioned to bring about a positive attitudinal change from prejudice to acceptance of the other. The project offers these target groups an alternative opportunity for intelligent, open discussion of what are challenging, but essential topics for Romania: social exclusion, discrimination, racism, extreme nationalism and the most adequate mechanisms of fighting them. We believe that these topics must be discussed and understood broadly if we want to become a balanced society, where diversity is valued and difference is appreciated.

Between 2009 and 2011, Debate House took place through the Policy Center Club and included over 300 young professionals in a series of discussions and events such as Youth Debate, the Debate Academy, Closer to Oxford, the academic conference Twenty years of democracy. Perspectives on post-communism in Central and Eastern Europe, or the Challenge Discrimination debate caravan for high school students, which took place in five cities accros the country with public figures participating as moderators. One World Film Clubs, ARDOR, PATRIR (Peace Action, Training and Research Institute of Romania), the Political Science Department of the University of Bucharest, School 136 from Ferentari and various schools and school inspectorates from across the country are Debate House partners from past years. Discussion moderators have included Policy Center staff, journalists and other public figures such as Mircea Toma, Liana Alexandru, Dragoș Bucurenci, Mugur Ciumăgeanu and Georgeta Petrovici.

Teachers who want to find out more details about the activities they would participate in through Debate House may access a detailed description of the project and the application form online (in Romanian).

Mark your calendars! The deadline for applications is January 16.

Please do not hesitate to contact us via email at mihaela.griga@policycenter.eu or by phone at 074 318 0460 if you would like more information on the project and application process. We welcome you to Debate House!