Students of the College of the North Atlantic–Qatar showcased their debating skills during visits to Ireland and the United States recently.
Atif Ahmed and Karim Bakhsh were the first CNA-Q team to participate in the 29th Annual World Debating Championships in Cork, Ireland, and said the experience was a great learning opportunity.
“This event really opened my eyes to different cultures,” said Bakhsh. “Watching different teams debate really gives you an insight into how people from different countries think, what their thought process is.”
“So many of the other participants only knew the Middle East from what they’ve seen on the news. It was great to be able to dispel some myths about the region,” said Ahmed.
In March, Sarah Al Hashimi, another student, travelled to Washington DC as part of the first US-hosted Doha Debates.
“It’s such an honour to have been chosen,” said Al Hashimi. “I have been participating in the Doha Debates for over a year but this trip was the experience of a lifetime.”
“We were given the opportunity to debate against the students at Georgetown University… and we won. I got the first question in the televised debate, which was on the motion, “This House Believes the US should be tougher on Israel.”
Ahmed, Karim and Sarah are all members of the CNA-Q Debate Club, which was formed in 2005 to provide students the opportunity to practice their public speaking as well as enhance their critical thinking. Since 2005, many CNA-Q debate club members have participated in the Doha Debates, both in Qatar and the UK, as well as in local debates on-campus and around the country.
http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=May2009&file=Local_News2009051961834.xml
Follow us on our social media channels:
@ILQlive
@ILQlive
@ILoveQtr
ILoveQatar
