Empowering Youthwork for the Green Debate at the Italian Youth Championship

Motions that Mattered

Each stage of the tournament focused on motions designed to spark critical reflection on climate and sustainability, drawn from the project’s resources. Among them:

• Middle School semi-finals and finals: This House believes that governments should prioritize the growth of their country’s economy rather than environmental protection.

• High School (Italian): This House would introduce a global and unified market for carbon trading.

• High School (English): This House would allow major industrialized countries to continue polluting if they were paid for climate change adaptation in developing countries.

• University finals (impromptu): This House would introduce a facilitated tax regime for manufactured products made with a percentage of recycled material, shifting taxation from labor to pollution produced.

Other impromptu debates tackled themes such as responsibility for emissions and innovative solutions for achieving international climate targets. Together, these motions provided students and coaches with opportunities to test the materials created within the project while strengthening their understanding of environmental policy and ethics.

A Training Ground for Critical and Civic Growth

The Italian Youth Championship was more than just a competition — it was a laboratory for critical thinking, civic engagement, and ethical reflection. Students were asked to argue persuasively and to grapple with the responsibilities of governments, businesses, and individuals in addressing the climate crisis.

As one coach observed: “These debate competitions are the perfect opportunity to develop the critical consciousness of young people, especially on extremely important issues such as the environment.”

A university-level participant and judge added: “In Misano, not only the best speakers won, but also the most responsible ideas. The environmental debate is a training ground for civic ethics as well as critical thinking.”

From middle schoolers to university debaters, participants expressed how transformative the experience was. “I realized that even if we’re young, we can still care, speak up, and try to change things,” shared a middle school finalist.

Debate as Preparation for the Future

The event showed how debate can act as both an intellectual challenge and a civic rehearsal. Coaches and judges reflected on its deeper value:

• “Debate isn't just a contest of arguments, it's a rehearsal for the future. These young minds are learning not only to speak, but to stand up for the planet.”

• “The power of this event lies not only in the words spoken, but in the awareness it sparks. Environmental debates shape citizens who think before they consume, question before they follow, and act before it's too late.”

• “When young people take the floor to debate environmental issues, they’re not just imagining a better world, they're building the intellectual foundations to create it.”

Building a Generation Ready for Change

The Italian Youth Championship in Debate demonstrated once again the power of debate to empower young people, foster responsibility, and cultivate the skills needed to tackle global challenges.

By combining competitive spirit with environmental education, the event embodied the mission of the Empowering Youthwork for the Green Debate project: to prepare a generation of informed, confident, and responsible citizens ready to shape a sustainable future.