Big Apple Cogers

Have something to get off your chest? Join us for a FREE monthly open-mic debate event in NYC brought to you by The International Debate Education Association in affiliation with the Society of Cogers (www.cogers.org).

The Society of Cogers was founded in the City of London in 1755 as a coffee bar debating society, can claim to be the oldest “free speech” forum in the world, and is quite possibly the oldest debating society in the world. IDEA is bringing this tradition to NY with the introduction of the Big Apple Cogers, which will meet the first Wednesday of each month at Professor Thom’s Bar for a lively debate on current events.

Sport Mega-Events and the Crisis of Youth Exclusion

At the turn of the last century, the modern Olympic and FIFA movements were launched in the context of declining empires, global economic crises, and ceaseless wars. Their explicit aim was to produce a new kind of peaceful world order.  These movements were founded on the theory that by providing healthful, demilitarized spaces where the youth of the world could realize their potential, they would come to embody a new kind of non-nationalistic, peaceful breed of humanity.

This conference, hosted by Goldsmiths University and the Open Society Foundations, will bring together youth activists, policy innovators and academic specialists to explore these issues. By looking back to the recent experiences of World Cup and Olympic hosts South Africa, Germany and Beijing, and looking forward to upcoming sports mega-events in London and Rio de Janeiro, we hope to generate new proposals for the promotion of young people’s interests in these giant international spectacles.

Debate@Europe

Debate@Europe is an educational project for young people in six countries across Europe. It fosters dialogue and mutual understanding through online and offline debates on European issues.

Debate in the Neighborhood

DiN projects are now underway in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, London and New York City, where our partners are working closely with communities and holding public debates on the local issues that affect them most. We train youth workers and youth leaders in how to use debate as a means of increasing young people’s participation in local issues, giving them ownership of the possible solutions.

IDEA Youth Forum

The Youth Forum, through a unique mix of competitive and educational offerings, offers inter-cultural learning to novice and experienced debaters and coaches. High school students are trained by an elite group of international trainers and coaches who teach them not only how to debate more effectively in the context of a tournament, but also how to use these skills to become active citizens through expanding their knowledge base on a specific issue chosen for the year.

Students also get insight on the reality in other countries, through peer to peer learning and facilitated interaction that takes place inside and outside the classroom. They also learn more about the host country through social events and excursions that take place during the Forum.