On October 12, 2020, the SISC Debate Club, in collaboration with the SISC Model United Nations Club and the Kindness Project, hosted a mock-debate showcase to kick off the start of SISC’s International Week. The Mover team had the chance to interview Co-Founder David Ramos to talk about the interesting event.
This debate showcase featured six students from the SISC Debate Club who argued on the motion that “This House Supports Japan in Covering Up Their Dark History.” Keneisha Pinto, Jaeda Johnson, and Ge Jin Lee represented the government side of this debate supporting the motion while Io Carpiso, Hannah Uy-Pitching, and Richard Park represented the opposition side.
Afterwards, our very own principal, Ms. Avic Suarez, was there to applaud the debaters for a job well done. To formally conclude the program, Sir. Jude Cuntapay and Ms. Eddielyn Bote shared their own pieces of advice for anyone in the audience who would like to become a debater themselves, and encouraged them to join the SISC Debate Club.
The SISC Debate Club was founded in 2019 by Cuit Cerbito and David Ramos. This club started out as something small, as a place where people could come and improve their own debating and public speaking skills; today, they have over 30 members and counting. They were able to transition to a virtual environment through weekly video call meetings as well as the creation of their Instagram page, which gives them the chance to reach out to more people and encourage them to try their hand in debate.
I got the chance to sit down with David Ramos, Co-Founder and Vice President of External Affairs of the SISC Debate Club. He is also the Deputy Security General of the SISC MUN Club and a journalist for the Kindness Project. David shared some stories on how he was introduced to debating, thoughts on the Debate Showcase and International Week, and shared his advice for first-time debaters.
What got you into debate and public speaking?
The first time I got into public speaking was in Grade 9, when I had a project wherein each of us had to do an impromptu speech; and this was where they got those that would compete in the English fest and I was chosen to represent our class. That’s the first time I got into public speaking. It was from winning class representative for English fest and then winning English fest.
As for debate, I first got introduced to it when one of the teachers that judged me in English fest invited me to join World Scholar’s Cup’s Global Round during the same year, and one of the events in WSC was debate. The rest was history.
Why did you start the Debate Club?
Debate club started because Cuit and I couldn’t move on from the World Scholar’s Cup. We really enjoyed the experience, but it was honestly quite expensive. There are some students that just want to experience debate, so we wanted to create a place for them to learn debate and public speaking without having to join WSC and committing to that whole event.
What were some of the difficulties you had gone through in starting the club?
Starting out was very difficult because Cuit and I only expected a handful of people to come in the first couple of meetings. Some of the struggles included the usual: being nervous, launching in the classrooms, going from class to class, begging people to join and telling them that Debate Club is cool, and that [debate] is actually fun. Luckily, we had the support of a lot of our friends from WSC. It became a way for those that want to train for World Scholar’s Cup or just train for public speaking in general to come together in one place.
Why do the showcase during International Week? What would be its significance, and do you think you achieved it?
So, I believe that, in a way, debate is a conversation between two sides. During International Week, we advocated for learning the cultures and thoughts of other people. So, we thought that the best way to do that was to have a debate showcase to show how these two sides can come to a conclusion and find a middle ground on a topic that relates so much to our theme during International Week.
I believe that the debate showcase has achieved two huge things: It got people to watch how debate happens and informed people, and it also really promoted International Week to our peers.
You’re collaborating with MUN and the Kindness Project. Why?
It is quite easy to partner with MUN because I’m the Deputy Security General of that club. So it’s kind of like all-in-one. My goal—along with Sir Jude, Ms. Eddie, and Sir Rey—was to be able to combine the effort of these organizations. MUN and Debate Club aren’t competing with the same people. You don’t have to feel as if you’re betraying MUN if you join the Debate Club and vice versa. The goal has always been to allow Southville students to venture into the world of public speaking, and we wanted to work together with MUN and Kindness Project for two reasons: one was so that we could tap into as many people as possible, and two, we believe that with the combined efforts of the MUN secretariats, the Debate Club Officers, and the leaders of the Kindness Project we can do our best and provide Southville a good International Week.
What would be the benefits from joining the club?
So besides the obvious improvement in public speaking and confidence, it’s the connections and the knowledge that you get from conversing and debating with other people. Most of the things that I know personally come from debate. That’s because I get to learn two sides of a topic [and] not just one [when] I research. It is almost as if while you are debating, you’re also learning. You’re not against the other side in a way. You’re trying to understand each other and then debate on the topic through a medium, a middle ground. So, the biggest takeaways I could give to urge people to join Debate Club is the improvement of public speaking, improvement in confidence, and lastly wider scope on the world and the topics that it gives.
What can you say to those who want to try out debating, but are too afraid to start?
For those that weren’t in the Debate Showcase and weren’t able to watch, something that Sir Jude and a lot of my mentors say is that no one is ever born a debater. There is no way that you can come out with no knowledge and then be successful in debate. A lot of the best debaters I know are quite shy and it’s really just a step out of your comfort zone [when] starting out debate.
So for those people who are hesitant and feel as if they can’t do debate, as long as you have a voice, as long as you have beliefs, and as long as you can converse with other people, you can debate. I always tell the people who first come to MUN or Debate Club, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and you joining this session is that step.”
Debate Club meets every Monday, from 5:00-6:30 PM. If you are interested in joining Debate Club, go visit the SISC Debate Club Instagram page at @siscdebateclub to sign up in the forms!
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