The program includes club meetings, public debate, instructive seminars, local, regional and national tournaments both for English and Romanian debate speakers.

Since August '95 we have organized 2 National and 4 Regional Tournaments, and some of them have been shown on National TV.

The main topics resolved at the tournaments were:
"Mass-Media is independent" and "Democracy is an illusion"

Each regional tournament brought together about 130 - 140 debaters, and the national tournaments gathered about 80 -90 participants. Usually tournaments last for 3 days. Now we have a great number of newly formed debate teams; that is why the program is extending and we intend to hold more regional tournaments including one for Chisinau. For future, we also intend to hold more local tournaments in order to make preliminary selections of debaters and to decrease the number of participants in the regional tournaments.

The best debaters are invited to the National Summer Camp. In August '95 we had 100 participants at the Summer Camp, which took place at the tourist station "Doina". This year the camp was organized for 130 participants, both beginners and experienced debaters. The participants to this summer camp were: teachers, 2 debaters from each club, the finalists from National tournaments in December '95 and May '96 and also representatives from University Debate Centers. The topics resolved at the Summer Camp were: " National Service should be mandatory for all citizens", "Everything is reduced to money" and "I can do anything at my age". The most interesting activities were: Public Debate between teachers (Affirmative case) and students (Negative case) on the topic: "The school destroys the personality"; Debate Show of university students on the topic: "Banana is the best fruit"; Picture contest; and songs on debate. The most interesting contest was Miss & Mister Debate. At this camp we had one team from Latvia, with which we had some friendly debates on: "National Service should be mandatory for all citizens". Taking into consideration the fact that we will have a lot of beginners next year (also in Russian) we intend to have 2 Summer Camps which will last one week each: one for Romanian speaking debaters and another for English speaking debaters; we would also be glad to have some guests - debate teams from other countries.

Through an exchange program we have established tight connections with our neighbors: in March '96 we were in Kiev, Ukraine, in May '96 Iasi, Romania and in July '96 Liepaja, Latvia. Exchange helps us to implement the idea of an open and friendly society and we hope to make new friends and to enrich our experience as debaters.

Next year we plan to enlarge these relations to a greater extent, i.e. to exchange experience and experienced debaters, too.

For the people who wish to join the program instructive seminars are organized all over the republic. In terms of relations with other organizations we can mention the close collaboration with the Ministry of Education of Moldova as well as the Peace Corps. We have a representative of this Ministry in the Debate Committee and she helps us to distribute the information about the program activities.

Since August '95 we had 11 workshops both in Romanian and Russian. Last May there was an instructive seminar with all the coaches and trainers concerning tournament organization, adjudication, Summer Camp organization. It would also be very useful to organize seminars on adjudication on an international level in order to exchange experience and ideas about debate. The weakest point of the program is adjudication, so it needs improvement.

In January '96, 3 University Debate Centers were opened: Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova, National State University and "Alecu Russo" University from Belts. The purpose of creating these centers is to make the university students and professors familiar with the Debate program. We are glad that Debate methodology has been used in teaching courses. This program is a good intellectual training for students, and it offers an opportunity for the students from all over the republic to get to know each other.

The decisive organ of the program is the Debate Committee, formed by coaches, university centers representatives, etc. The committee meetings take place every three months and develops the strategy as regard the further development of the program.

We plan to have different activities like public debate in schools, universities and other institutions for spreading and extending the program even more. For example, the finalists of December '95 National Tournament were invited to the National Radio where they have resolved the topic: "Democracy is an illusion". Moreover, there were some reports on National TV and Radio about Debate Program in Moldova. And the Finals from May '96 were shown on National TV several times discussing the theme: "Mass-Media is independent". At the beginning of August '96 a series of reports about the Debate Program has been initiated by the National TV.

Calendar of Events through December 1997

Workshops:
September 6-8, 1996: Workshop for all trainers and coaches in Moldova
January 10-12, 1997: Romanian adjudication workshop
January 10-12, 1997: English adjudication workshop
March 21-23, 1997: University instructive workshop
March 21-23, 1997: High School instructive workshop
May 1-3, 1997: University instructive workshop and High School instructive workshop
June 16-18, 1997: High School instructive workshop
July 4-6, 1997: Instructive workshop
July 11-13, 1997: Instructive workshop
September 5-7,1997: Workshop for all trainers and coaches in Moldova
September 5-7,1997: Instructive workshop
November 7-9, 1997: Instructive workshop
December 19-21, 1997: Instructive workshop
Resolutions:
"Technological progress has changed our lives for the worse"
"Adolescence is the most beautiful period of our life"
Tournaments:
January 10-12, 1997: Regional Tournament for Chisinau
November 3-4, 1996: Regional Tournament for the South
November 5-6, 1996: Regional Tournament for the North
March 30-31, 1997: Regional Tournament for Chisinau
April 1-3, 1997: Regional Tournament for the South
April 4-6, 1997: Regional Tournament for the North

School: Lyceum 2
Contact: Tamara Popovici
Telephone: (373 2) 345-268
Contact: Ludmila Sarbu
Telephone: (373 2) 343-749
Contact: Angela Ciorici / Pavel Cerbusca
Telephone: (373 2) 335-092

School: Lyceum Mircea Eliade
Contact: Veronica Bolocan

School: Lyceum Mihai Eminescu
Contact: Ludmila Dan
Telephone: (373 2) 570-588

School 93
Contact: Maria Boico
Telephone: (373 2) 434-243

School: Lyceum "D. Aligheri"
Contact: Ludmila Mazilu
Telephone: (373 2) 622-056
Contact: Tamara Ceban

School: Theoretical Lyceum
Contact: Lilia Olog
Telephone: (373 2) 412-2303

School: Theoretical Lyceum
Contact: Maria Chislaru

School 2
Contact: Constantin Cojocaru

School: Theoretical Lyceum "M. Eminescu"
Contact: Maria Druga
Telephone: (373 2) 622-2276

Contact: Olga Groza
Telephone: (373 2) 502-3163

School Mindresti
Contact: Zinaida Popa
Telephone: (373 2) 584-4377

School: Lyceum Mircea Eliade
Contact: Veronica Bolocan / Marcela Cotruta
Telephone: (373 2) 622-324
Contact: Margareta Dusciac
Telephone: (373 2) 324-786
Contact: Eugenia Balaur
Telephone: (372 2) 738-236

School: Theoretical Lyceum
Contact: Livia Deliu
Telephone: (373 2) 632-3993

School: Lyceum "Ion Vatamanu"
Contact: Galina Burac
Telephone: (373 2) 352-4960

School 1
Contact: Maria Vulpe
Telephone: (373 2) 442-0630

School 2
Contact: Serghei Lisenco

School: Lyceum "M. Eminescu"
Contact: Iana Ciobanu / Natalia Cojuhari
Telephone: (373 2) 315-9181

School: Russian School 2
Contact: Ana Zaplitnii
Telephone: (373 2) 512-2665

School: Russian School 3
Contact: Tudor Schitco / Maria Schitco
Telephone: (373 2) 522-2350

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