Karl Popper Debate Program in Belarus
Debate Center in Belarus
at the Belarusian Soros Foundation
Address: Prospect F. Skorina 65, Korpus 11 A, 220027 Minsk-27, Belarus
Phone: (375 172) 327-064, 327-713, 328-092
Fax: (375 172) 328-092
Program Coordinator: Natalya Plekhanova
E-mail Address:
plekhanova@bsf.minsk.by
If you are going to debate...
Come as you are and let it be,
Make up your mind and be free,
Never brood over past pain
And if you're lost - just try again.
Keep your faith to find a way.
And if you're gonna change it - start today.
Keep smiling - you still shine,
Don't be too loud, but don't be shy,
Don't forget - life is a game,
And you won't be upset ever again.
--composed by the participants of the seminars
History of the Debate Program in Belarus
Some facts from the life of the "High School Debate Program" in Belarus.
In 1995, the High School Debate Program's activities began with a Seminar for professors and students from various higher educational establishments. Ten students' teams and six pupils' teams with their coaches were present there. It was the first seminar for students, but pupils of senior forms from different schools came there to demonstrate their skills in debating and acquire some knowledge in adjudicating.
The following lectures were delivered:
"Principles of Organising Debates"
"How to make a speech and the typical mistakes of combining the parts of speech".
A special workshop was held for the coaches, professors and pupils about the principles of adjudicating.
The pupils had a game for everybody on the topic of "Youth is the best time of your life". In turn, students played a game on the topic of "Life was better before TV" on the second day, with the pupils as adjudicators. The third day was devoted to debates on the topic of "Marriage limits a woman" where students met with pupils. The pupils were the winners, due to the amount of practice they did. But the students were not disappointed, and
were inspired for their further activities.
The final game was on the topic of "Love is evil". Only two mixed teams played it, and the others were spectators, adjudicators and experts.
It took place during the winter students' holidays from February 2-5, 1995 at Staiky sports complex which is 20 km from Minsk.
The second step in the life of the Debate Program was the Debate Adjudication Training Session which was held from the 23 to 26th of March at Raubichi sports complex near Minsk. Participants from different towns
and villages of Belarus began their meeting with two-minute talks plus an evaluation, during which they had the chance to get acquainted with one another and observe the peculiarities of unprepared speech.
The following lectures were organised there :
"Motions, Definitions and Arguments"
"Techniques of Adjudication"
"Performing and delivery skills, stage fright, speech therapy".
Before or after lectures, the students performed debates on the topics:
"Scientific Progress has changed our life for the worse"
"The Dead Rule the World"
"You should tell the Truth, the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth"
"Marriage makes a Man"
Everybody who came to participate in the seminars and sessions had a chance not only to learn more about debates, but had time for sports, a disco, visiting places of interest, and even shows in famous theatres.
It is very pleasant to mention that the Debate Program has been spreading further and further. So, the first Vitebsk regional High School Debate seminar was held from June 30 till July 2 with sponsorship from the Soros
Foundation's Vitebsk Branch.
The main idea of the seminar was to promote High School Debate clubs in small towns of the Vitebsk region and Vitebsk itself, of course. To provide everything which was necessary, specialists in debating (Y. Vorotilin),
psychology (T. Dorozhevets) and the art of public speaking (A. Zuev) delivered lectures and ran seminars for the participants.
Three games were played during the seminar:
"We live to learn"
"It's difficult to be a Girl"
"It's time to get Tough"
At the end of that seminar, the coaches and students unanimously expressed their great eagerness to create High School Debate clubs in their schools.
In April, the two best Belarusian teams were invited to Kiev to show Ukrainian teachers what debate games are about. They performed a game on the topic of "The times of the real love are gone". Then the students
demonstrated their abilities in adjudicating during a game for teachers. So, everybody was impressed by the Belarusian help to introduce the program to their country.
Then from July 3 - 12, two teams from Minsk and their coordinators participated in the Ukrainian Summer Camp, where they demonstrated a debating game for students and teachers. An international workshop for teachers was held on the 21-23 May in Isloch near Minsk. 50 teachers from Belarus, Ukraine and the USA took part in it. Every day began with ice-breaking activities, communication games, or warm-ups. Lectures were delivered on :
1) The educational value of Debating;
2) The task of Adjudicators;
3) The organisation of debate competitions.
Different exercises were prepared for the teachers to help them in their work with students:
1) Text analysis, pro and con arguments;
2) Argument-building activities;
3) Techniques of persuasion;
4) The question of definitions.
The participants held three debates on the following topics:
1) That women should propose;
2) Money talks in all languages;
3) We live to learn.
While speaking about the activities in 1995, it is necessary to say that we have already held three seminars for school teachers and pupils, and one seminar for professors and students from higher educational establishments such as universities and institutes, plus one unforgettable summer camp, of course.
We would like to mention that interest in the High School Debate Program is increasing with every passing day, so we are eager to involve more and more people with initiative and teams to participate in this program.
In 1996, the program's activities began with a seminar for university professors and students in February. Ten student teams with their coaches were present there. At the same time a regional seminar for teachers and
pupils was held in Vitebsk.
In March 1996 we organised a republican tournament bringing together 18 teams from all over Belarus.
By the way, during the seminars we organised a kind of competition where we could choose the most interesting, thorough-thinking and active teams and participants. In short, we had a chance to finish every seminar with final debate game in which brilliant people showed their skills in debating.
It is necessary to mention the summer camp which was held in June. 21 teams from all regions of Belarus took part. This summer camp showed up the strongest points of our program. First of all the high level of the older
teams and the new teams involved. Secondly, we introduced a new method whereby the teachers gave lectures. We were given a list of motions and asked the teachers to give lectures for pupils and other teachers alike. The main idea was to motivate teachers to get involved in creative research work.
The following lectures were organised there:
"Motions, Definitions and Arguments"
Techniques of Adjudication"
"Performing and delivery skills, stage fright, speech therapy"
"Tactics for team training and research"
"How to be convincing"
"What is teamwork?"
"Elocution"
In short, the organisers managed to create an atmosphere of friendship and cooperation among the participants of the workshop, and the teachers accepted the idea with great enthusiasm.
As for our future plans, we have set ourselves the following goals:
- getting new schools to join the program;
- maintaining the standards of club teams;
- organising and doing research work for students and teachers;
- publicising the program among teachers and young people through the media;
- increasing the number of contacts with various High School Debate clubs around the world.
Debate Clubs and Contact List
High School # 32
School address: 26 Serdicha St., 220093, Minsk
Telephone: (375-172)-55-33-27, 54-12-06
Contact Person: Liliya Zadorova
High School # 24
School address: 40 Internastionalnaya St., 220030, Minsk
Telephone: (375-172)-27-89-62, 27-84-24
Contact Person: Faina Turovskaya
High School # 25
School address: 3 Sedova St., 220102, Minsk
Telephone: (375-172)-42-81-97, 42-81-98
Contact Person: Natalya Lazovik
High School # 54
School address: 58 Zakharova St., 220088, Minsk
Telephone: (375-172)-36-16-23, 36-30-40
e-mail address: root@pchela.by.glas.apc.org
Contact Person: Stephanovich Yelena, Laptinskaya Lyudmila
High School # 103
School address: 36 Kalinovskogo St., 220086, Minsk
Telephone: (375-172)-63-21-85, 64-80-96
Contact Person: Lyutko Oksana, Inessa Kolesnikova
High School # 195
School address: 37 Nikiforova St., 220030, Minsk
Telephone: (375-172)-60-64-13
Contact Person: Ivanova Alla, Panamarchuk Natalya
Youth Palace
Address: 41 Starovilensky trakt, 220000, Minsk
Telephone: (375-172)-39-14-29
Contact Person: Natalya Shappo
High School # 64
School address: 59-3 Kuybysheva St., 220029, Minsk
Telephone: (375-172)-33-79-71
Contact Person: Larisa Chikal, Tatyana Dikaya
High School # 87
School address: 23 Shcherbakova St., 220009, Minsk
Telephone: (375-172)-30-12-73, 30-10-64
Contact Person: Ada Pustovoyt
High School # 1
School address: 138 Rokosovskogo ave., 220101, Minsk
Telephone: (375-172)-47-31-63, 47-35-22
e-mail address: root@gymn1.minsk.by
Contact Person: Elina Starovoytova, Margarita Bendetskaya
High School # 61
School address: 46 V. Khoruzhey St., korpus III, 220068, Minsk
Telephone: (375-172)-37-42-75, 37-09-52
e-mail address: school@minsch61.minsk.by
Contact Person: Lyudmila Meshcheryakova
High School # 191
School address: 7 Gorodetskaya St., 220125, Minsk
Telephone: (375-172)-65-91-75
Contact Person: Vladislava Borshyova
High School # 163
School address: 9 Tikotskogo St., 220119, Minsk
Telephone: (375-172)-63-39-01
Contact Person: Lyudmila Yurova
High School # 44
School address: 3a Masherova Ave., 220119, Minsk
Telephone: (375-172)-23-08-24
Contact Person: Lyudmila Andreyeva
High School # 212
School address: 95 Lobanka St., 220022, Minsk
Telephone: (375-172)-59-07-42
Contact Person: Mariana Gruzdilovich
High School # 189
School address: 14 Gorovtsa St., 220000, Minsk
Telephone: (375-172)-47-96-98, 47-58-62
Contact Person: Natalya Galkina
Central Library
Address: 34 Sovetskaya St., 222620, Nesvizh
Telephone: (375-270)-5-56-43
Contact Person: Yelena Shkraba
High School # 21
School address: 13 Pushkina St., 220000, Orsha
Telephone: (375-02161)-3-02-34
Contact Person: Svyatoslav Martynovich
High School # 1
Address: 7-57, Mira St., 220000, Orsha
Telephone: (375-02161)-2-12-78
Contact Person: Svetlana Grakova
High School # 7
School address: 18 Suvorova St., 220000, Lida
Telephone: (375-01561)-3-40-09
Contact Person: Tamara Nekrasova
High School # 10
School address: 8 Dzerzhinskogo St., 220000, Grodno
Telephone: (375-0152)-44-91-96
Contact Person: Olga Povargo
High School # 7
School address: 3 Stroiteley St., 247760, Mozyr
Telephone: (375-02351)-3-20-47
Contact Person: Lyudmila Petrushenko
High School # 25
School address: 6-2-48 Pobedy Ave., 220038, Vitebsk
Telephone: (375-02122)-2-35-61
Contact Person: Evgeniy Vorotilin
High School # 32
School address: 19a Chkalova St., 200000, Vitebsk
Telephone: (375-02122)-2-20-52
Contact Person: Lyudmila Lyakhova
High School # 37
School address: 32 korpus 7 Chkalova, 200000, Votebsk
Telephone: (375-02122)-2-44-74
Contact Person: Galina Tereshenko
High School # 15
School address: 10/2 Dovatora St., 220000, Vitebsk
Telephone: (375-0212)-37-23-12
Contact Person: Vladimir Gaidukov
High School # 7
School address: 9-69 Gagarina St., 222160, Zhodino
Telephone: (375-275)-3-61-17, 3-46-45
Contact Person: Valentina Tokareva
Youth Centre "Svetoch"
Address: 41 Kozlova St., Soligorsk
Telephone: (375-01710)-3-34-69
Contact Person: Aleksander Rusak, Olga Maksimovich
High School # 1
School address: 52 Lenina St., 200000, Soligorsk
Telephone: (375-01710)-3-34-69
Contact Person: Tatyana Vedeneeva
High School
School address: 3-11 Parkovaya St., 223033, Zhdanovichi
Telephone: (375-172)-99-83-43, 99-83-44, 99-84-93
Contact Person: Lyudmila Lyutsevich
High School # 61
School address: 64-51 Oktyabrya Ave., 220000 Gomel
Telephone: (375-0232)-45-51-50
Contact Person: Ekaterina Grishaeva
High School # 7
School address: 17-24 Kommunisticheskaya St., 211400, Polotsk
Telephone: (375-02144)-4-22-42, 4-64-34
Contact Person: Natalya Zavistovskaya, Larisa Pirogova
High School # 9
School address: 7a Druzhby, 220000, Novopolotsk
Telephone: (375-02144)-2-28-10
Contact Person: Natalya Skulovets
High School # 1
School address: 29 K. Marksa St., 220000, Brest
Telephone: (0162)-26-36-50
Contact Person: Alla Garbul
University Debate Centres
Belarusian Pedagogical University
University address: 18-76 Gurteyva St., 220000, Minsk
Telephone: (375-172)-65-86-47
Contact Person: Lyudmila Sinitsa
Belarusian State University
University address: 9-1 Yanky Mavra St., 220000, Minsk
Telephone: (375-172)-52-79-79
e-mail address: root@bsu.minsk.by
Contact Person: Valentina Belan
Belarusian Linguistic University
University address: 23-1-159 Odintsova St., 220000, Minsk
Telephone: (375-172)-57-11-88
Contact Person: Nadezhda Sevastyanova
Institute of Modern Knowledge
Institute address: 48-516 Kalinovskogo St., 220000, Minsk
Telephone: (375-172)-64-12-12
e-mail address: root@isz.minsk.by
Contact Person: Tatyana Mikhalyova, Vladimir Korzh
Medical Institute
University address: 8a-41 Tashkentskaya St., 220000, Minsk
Telephone: (375-172)-41-76-83
Contact Person: Natalya Chernetskaya
Polotsk State University
University address: 29 Blohina St., 211440, Novopolotsk
Telephone: (375-02144)-5-95-00, 5-15-83
e-mail address: root@psu.vitebsk.by
Contact Person: Vladimir Mikhaylovski
Economic University
University address: 3-1 Berestyanskaya St., 220000, Minsk
Telephone: (375-172)-36-33-78
e-mail address: root@bseu.minsk.by
Contact Person: Tatyana Solonovich
Vitebsk State University
University address: 66-1-63 Moskovsky Ave., Vitebsk
Telephone: (375-212)-35-57-38
Contact Person: Tatyana Petrashko
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