Back from Washington! Join China’s Top Debating Club
Asia Debating successfully hosted North America Summer Outbound 2024 across Washington DC, New York, and Toronto from July 7th to 20th, 2024. It marks the first summer debating program offered in the Asian region to include modules in both the US and Canada.
NEW YORK I
Flying into the US from different parts of Asia required some coordination. But, we eventually made our way from John F. Kennedy Airport to our lodgings at the Intercontinental New York Barclay – a hotel on Lexington Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. This is the same hotel that Ernest Hemingway stayed in as he finished his novel For Whom The Bell Tolls. The next day's main event was a visit to the United Nations Headquarters, which included a guided tour of the debating chambers that served the distinct UN bodies, including the Economic and Social Council and the Security Council. We were fortunate to observe a live meeting at the UN General Assembly that included representation from all UN countries. This is a unique opportunity as visitors are usually not allowed to visit the site when the General Assembly convenes.
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WASHINGTON
The next leg of our journey involved a flight from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington DC. It is a real treat to fly in or out of Reagan as passengers get to see the monuments and buildings around the US Capitol. If it can be managed, this is the preferred way to travel to and from the capital city of the United States. As the seat of government, Washington is home to the US Senate and House of Representatives – where US laws are written and debated before being put into force. Here, our field trip enjoyed lunch at the Capitol Café inside the Capitol Building before attending the galleries of both debating chambers. In the House of Representatives, we watched Republicans and Democrats debate the merits of voter identification laws and refrigerator standardization. We observed the Speaker of the House bring the members to a roll call vote where each elected congressman needed to give their aye or nay. Political personalities like Nancy Pelosi, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Matt Gaetz were in the chamber in-caucus as we watched from the Gallery. On the other side of the building, at the US Senate, we watched the senior lawmakers confirm one of President Joe Biden's nominees to a federal tax court. While the votes were close, with almost all Republicans and Democrats voting along their party lines, the new name nominated to the tax court earned enough votes to become a new US tax judge. Here, our debaters were able to see up close some of the longest-serving politicians in America, including Mitch McConnell, John Kennedy, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren. After this immersion in legislative debating, we made our way to the Library of Congress, the world's largest library. We were honored to enter the Jefferson Reading Room, examine the collections of older US record books, and read some items from the European Collection at the same tables used by congressional researchers. The debaters look forward to returning to the library, hopefully with more time to spare. We also took a morning out to pay our respects to the late President John F. Kennedy at his grave and memorial at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia. At this site was an engraving of his inaugural address and the famous line, "Ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." The words stand as a reminder to every debater of his or her role in developing our collective democratic discourse. We continued this somber day with a visit to the Department of Defense Headquarters, The Pentagon. The debaters observed a moment of silence and reflection in front of the section of the building where hijackers crashed an airliner, an attack on global freedom and security. It was a powerful feeling to see the damaged wall in person. We, yet again, were reminded of how important debating is to avoid violence and conflict.
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NEW YORK II
The end of our sojourn to Washington meant flying back to New York for the last section of the US half of NASO 2024. We made our way to our next hotel in the city – Hotel Indigo New York City Financial District, a property of the IHG group on Wall Street in Downtown Manhattan. The hotel overlooked the historic Trinity Church, the final resting place of Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler. As we explored the church, we remembered how important a figure Hamilton was to us all – an immigrant and orphan who worked his way up to become a founding father of the United States. Immigration is an important theme to NASO 2024 as almost all of our debaters in attendance in some way, shape, or form identify with being an immigrant. This is why we returned to New York after Washington to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island – the previous gateway for people around the world who wanted a new life and who sought it in America. We climbed up the pedestal of the Statue and saw the twin cities of New York and New Jersey from Liberty Island. Afterward, we took a ferry to enter the National Immigration Museum. Here, we learned about the requirements (both past and present) of individuals who want to live, work, and stay in the US. We finished this second New York leg of the trip in the grandest fashion: watching Hamilton: An American Musical at a matinee show on Broadway. The work of stage art by Lin-Manuel Miranda perfectly envelopes the experience of NASO in the US with song, dance, and drama as debaters followed the journey of Alexander Hamilton from student to soldier to secretary of the treasury.
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TORONTO
With bags packed and minds full of wonder, the group made its way to JFK Airport for the next half of NASO 2024 in Toronto, Canada. With a restful night's sleep, debaters spent time at the Royal Ontario Museum, where they saw exhibits from different parts of the world: mummies from Egypt, dinosaurs from Japan, and various items from tribal life from Alaska, among other things. The group also took the ferry to the Toronto Centre Islands to fully see the city skyline. It was a sight to behold, with the CN Tower and other skyscrapers forming the complete landscape amidst the islands' temperate nature. Soon, it was time to rendezvous with more debaters from around the world for standard training debating camp. The group spent six days learning about the applications of matter, manner, and method to parliamentary debating. They crafted speeches and listened to lectures about economics, social issues, and more. All debaters were able to participate in mini-tournament-style practice sessions and live in residence with other classmates in a dormitory setting. The end of the debating camp was highlighted by a visit to Niagara Falls, one of the world's ultimate natural wonders. The boat ride through the water of the falls was breathtaking and a reminder of the power of nature and the importance of respecting our natural environment.
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JEJU, KOREA
Some debaters continued their summer training with our optional extension on Jeju Island in South Korea. This camp leg was hosted by Jeju National University and included more debaters attending from Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and the Chinese mainland. Debaters learned from top Korean mentors while enjoying the resort amenities on the tropical island.
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In addition to their training, the debaters also tried their hand at outdoor activities, including hiking through flower forests, go-kart driving on an outdoor track, zip-lining through the Jeju mountain terrain, and riding speedboats at the island's beachside.
INVITATION We hope more of you in Shanghai and China will join the Asia Debating roster this 2024-2025. As China's most traveled debating club, the past year saw our Asia Debating's roster win prizes and participate in competitions in Shanghai, Seattle, London, Toronto, New York, Jeju City, and Harvard University in Boston. Our former debaters now populate the world's best high schools and universities, including Eton College, Westminster School, Harvard-Westlake School, Choate Rosemary Hall, as well as the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge and US colleges like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford.
2024-2025 Season Tracks
Parliamentary Debating Track
The official format of the World Championship for schools: The Debating International TDI (www.debatebp.com)
Based on the same law-making debates used at the US Congress and in the UK House of Commons
The only format of debating that sees mutual competition between top US teams (e.g. Harvard, Yale) and top UK teams (e.g. Oxford, Cambridge) with top Asia teams (e.g. National University of Singapore, Peking University, University of Tokyo)
Training Structure
Public Speaking Track
An interdisciplinary program that prepares individuals for different speech events: expository speaking, impromptu speaking, persuasive speaking, and Model United Nations
Provides venues of competition in China, in Asia, and in the US and UK – building a portfolio of experience that supplements a strong British or American School application
Training Structure
UK-Bound Mentorship Track
A program that combines test preparation for ISEB exams, Boarding School-specific exams, and the school interview gauntlet with orientation with social and governmental structures in the United Kingdom.
This readies a debater looking to move to schools in the English or Scottish systems for the stringent acceptance requirements and new cultural expectations of their lives abroad
General Information
Training spans September 2, 2024 to January 22, 2025
Grade Levels
2023-2024 Highlights
Current debaters admitted into Tonbridge School, Wycombe Abbey School, and Winchester College
Former debaters graduating from University of Oxford Law and PPE prestige bachelor's programs
Team has won prizes and represented China in Shanghai, Seattle, London, Toronto, New York, Jeju City, and at Harvard University in Boston
Today, the club maintains its position as China's most travelled and achieved debating club. New and old debaters can expect to learn global best practices and travel the world to compete against their peers from different countries. A promise we make and keep to each debater: mentorship and cultivation of their skills in the interest of reaching their personal goals.
For inquiries, reservations, or camp purchase, please scan the QR codes below:
www.debatingcoach.com
For more information, please follow their official wechat account
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