Headlines
The debate gets underway
Students Take Centre Stage in Hay Festival Debate
14th June 2010
Hereford Sixth Form College students formed part of a panel of young people in a debate on whether the amount of UK aid given to developing countries should be cut. The event was hosted by the locally-based charity Concern Universal and chaired by prominent television presenter Francine Stock.
The local charity which regularly visits Hereford Sixth Form College with guest speakers, invited Rosa Gerhards, Shae Courtney and Dean Davies to take part in the event on the Wednesday of the Hay festival week. The students had received their brief on what was expected by the charity in previous weeks, and preparation was done wholly independently, with no assistance from College staff.
As I travelled up to Hay to watch the event and support our team, I hoped that they would not find the official nature of the occasion too daunting or even worse, positively nerve wracking! Given the formality of the occasion, the large audience, and presence of journalists and local political figures, it was no easy task. However, my preoccupation was unnecessary. As keen members of the Debate Society, the students are well versed in the art of public speaking, and acclimatised to having their views challenged in the cut and thrust of discussion. In front of a grand audience, including newly elected MP Jesse Norman and Labour candidate Philippa Roberts (to mention only a few), they did themselves proud!
Rosa spoke in favour of maintaining high levels of aid to the third world and developing counties. She spoke about a moral obligation, citing as evidence the relative distance between conditions in the West compared with developing countries. Shae and Dean argued that although aid needs to be maintained, the level should be cut by 10 per cent, for the reasons of our own economic crisis and the lack of evidence of it being spent effectively by receiving governments. All managed to remain composed, arguing their case very well and at the end of the debate, the motion was carried.
The event was part of the one of the many external links Hereford Sixth Form College has in its continuing programme of student development. Through working with individuals and agencies with specific expertise or knowledge, whether through lectures/speakers, debating, training or work experience, the aim is to give our students the very best in personal development. The forthcoming academic year 2010-2011, will see a further expansion in this trend, consolidating our position as a leading provider of the “Super-Curricular” activities needed to equip our students for an increasingly competitive world.