MCC Bulletin 2024 - eng

MCC DEBATE ACADEMY
In 2019, MCC launched its Debate Academy as a
separate postgraduate program open to the public,
which has since grown into a major debate
training center in the Carpathian Basin. The Debate Academy uses the organizational and educational
capacities of MCC to cultivate and disseminate Hungarian-language debate culture both horizontally,
throughout the Carpathian Basin, and vertically, from primary school children to adults. To develop a
network of trained debate moderators and mentors, the Debate Academy has developed a three-module
training program and operates a network of debate clubs throughout the Carpathian Basin. Currently,
students can join one of the local debate clubs in Budapest, Debrecen, Győr, Miskolc, Pécs, Szeged,
Székesfehérvár, and Cluj-Napoca. In the spirit of practice-oriented education, the Debate Academy
organizes an annual high school debate competition entitled “MCC Debate”. Overseen by MCC students,
the competition is an excellent opportunity for Hungarian high school students from throughout
the Carpathian Basin to test their knowledge and reasoning skills. In addition to educational activities,
the Debate Academy also conducts research and produces literature. The Academy develops teaching
materials, edits a debate guidebook, and publishes the outcomes of research work on their Polémia blog
and podcast on the website “corvinak.hu”. Another goal of the Debate Academy is to better integrate
the Carpathian Basin debate culture into the international arena. The most talented MCC debaters are
selected to form a team and are prepared by Debate Academy mentors to participate in competitions
abroad. Another important competition is the MCC International Debate Open, which is a major
competition organized by the students of the Collegium in the British parliamentary format. As MCC
has expanded, debate has become an integral part of our educational strategy. From the Youth Talent
Program, to the High School, University, and postgraduate programs, formalized debating has become
an essential element of MCC’s educational activities.
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