VOICE OF REASON SET TO HOLD HER FIRSTS MASTER'S ROUNDS

1st press release- VOR Master's Round to start soon

The Voice of Reason otherwise known as VOR is a debate and public speaking organisation made up of students who see debating and public speaking as a medium of intellectual exchange, critical reasoning and impacting the world through speeches. The group is made up of individuals who have represented the University of Calabar in international debate championships such as the World, Pan African, Ghana Universities Debating Championship and national competitions like the All Nigerian Universities Debating Championship etc.

As a result of the experiences garnered during the course of attending the aforementioned championships, the group is set to organise a first of its kind debate tournament in Nigeria known as the VOR Master’s Round. The tournament will make use of the British Parliamentary Debate format which is attainable in the aforementioned championships. The competition would be invitational, that is, only institutions sent invitation letters would attend.

OBJECTIVES OF THE TOURNAMENT

Debate is a very valuable and significant tool in the advancement of any democratic society. As the motto of the organization states “speak, enlighten and change”, it is through the medium of debating and public speaking that people gets to be enlightened and to a large extent it brings about the needed change. Debate is an avenue for healthy interaction and advocacy, as it has an enormous dimension to break down the walls of primeval and stereotypical considerations which largely hold the people down. The VOR Master’s Round wishes to offer a forum for the sharing and fertilization of ideas by university students in Nigeria, who constitute essentially the cream of the youth population in the country, to constructively engage governance and the management of resources within the country with a view to reforming it.

The major aim/objective of the tournament is to respond to the existence of the All Nigerian Universities Debating Championship and also create a competitive environment within the Nigerian debating circus. The tournament will provide an avenue for Nigerian debaters to acquaint themselves more with the British Parliamentary debate format which is relatively new in the Nigerian debating community and be better prepared for international tournaments. There is also the obvious benefit of fostering deep understanding and unity among Nigerian youths. As a student oriented tournament, the VOR Master’s Round seeks to foster co-operation and collaboration among universities and debate organisations/unions in Nigeria and beyond, providing a solid basis for healthy competition. The aims and objectives of the tournament are immeasurable and specifically include the following.

1.      To bring together students/youths from across the country and beyond to engage in competitive debating that will enhance their critical thinking and foster key leadership skills.

3.      To create a forum through which students/youths can be exposed to new ideas, discuss topical issues and thus be challenged to think critically.

4.      To build a culture of debate that extends beyond universities to schools, permeating all segments of the Nigerian youths.

5.      To develop structures that spread, support and encourage debate throughout Nigeria, acting as an impetus for the development of debating in Nigeria by incentivising debaters to represent their universities/unions at accessible but prestigious international competitions.

Through its engagements, therefore, VOR Master’s Round seeks to provide a tool for the enhancement of critical thinking, communication skills, and the creation of good democratic ethos amongst young people, who are invariably the future leaders of tomorrow.In addition, it seeks to empower students/youths to play an active role in facilitating dialogue on the various social and political issues of their communities and contribute meaningfully to the perpetual national, continental and global search for enduring peace, security and development.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

The tournament is billed to take place from 17^th – 19^th April, 2015 in Calabar the capital of Cross River state. The date of the tournament was fixed on a weekend so as to enable students attend and not affect academic activities which is usually on week days.

ADJUDICATION CORE

To ensure the highest quality of debates, a highly skilled adjudication core has been assembled. The members of the CAP are:

Dr. Nwagha Christopher (Imo State Univeristy)-Chief Adjudicator

DodeyeEsua (Debate Chamber Nigeria)-Deputy Chief Adjudicator

UgwumsinachiChukwuemeka (Michael Okpara University)-Deputy Chief Adjudicator

COLLABORATORS

This tournament is endorsed and supported by a growing list of progressive youth led NGOs and entities. They at the moment include:

1.      Promasidor Nigeria Limited

2.      iKapture networks

3.      Debate Chamber Nigeria

4.      International Youth Council of Nigeria- Abia State chapter

5.      Michael Okpara University Debate Club and

6.      IMSU Debate Club

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

We seek your aide if you are a believer in youth development as a driver of national progress. For further information on how you can get involved, we can be reached via:

Email: vofr@outlook.com

Phone: 08081776234, 07067839550

Mail: Basic Rights Council Chambers, 53 IBB way Calabar.