Debate Mate Cup Trip

On the Wednesday 20th of April 2022, a small group of students went on a once in a lifetime trip to Goldsmiths, University of London, to debate and represent Hatch End High School in the Debate Mate Cup 2022. We were at the venue for the whole day, participating in a series of debates against other schools. Some of the motions for the debates we participated in were: 

“THIS HOUSE WOULD USE AI TO MAKE POLITICAL DECISIONS” 

“THIS HOUSE WOULD BAN MUSIC THAT GLORIFIES CRIME”

“THIS HOUSE BELIEVES THAT SPORTS PERSONALITIES SHOULD DECLARE THEIR OPINIONS ON KEY SOCIAL ISSUES”. 

All of these motions were very fun to debate about with the teams of 5-6 we were divided into. Unfortunately, we lost the first and second debate, although from this, we feel we have learnt a great amount and we know that we will do much better the next time we debate against other schools. 

We did win the third and final debate for our group, as the speakers had gained confidence throughout the day and their morale was boosted after hearing a fun motion. However, we did not reach the finals, but it was a very fun and educational experience, which helped us as a group to gain confidence, chemistry and knowledge when debating - it was also a pleasure to see the top two teams battle for the Debate Mate Cup 2022 trophy and we wish the winning school and team the best of luck in the Grand Final. 

Article by Rushil and Xavier