IDEA Youth Forum 2025: Learning, Leading, and Connecting Through Debate

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Jul 20, 2025

Prague once again hosted young debaters from across Europe in the latest edition of the IDEA Youth Forum. During the inspiring week it offered a unique mix of education, dialogue, and intercultural exchange. With a focus on skill-building, peer-led learning and community spirit.

The 2025 edition of the IDEA Youth Forum once again took place in Prague, running partly alongside the Prague Debate Spring tournament. It brought together young debaters from across Europe for a programme full of workshops, cooperation and cultural exchange. All participants also used the chance to take part also in the PDS tournament, to try their new skills for the first time. Thanks to cooperation with our partner organisations, we were able to invite even more young people than in previous years..

From 8th to 15th July, we welcomed our participants with a rich educational programme structured in seven workshop blocks, with three to four workshops per block. Participants had the opportunity to choose the topics they were most interested in and focus on improving their critical thinking, debating skills and knowledge. Most of the sessions were led by young coaches and adjudicators, who created an engaging and challenging environment for learning and sharing ideas.

One of the highlights of the forum was the peer-to-peer workshop session. In this part of the programme, participants became the facilitators. They prepared and led their own workshops, bringing new perspectives and energy into the space. This format gave young people the chance to share their knowledge, take responsibility for the learning process and build their leadership skills.

Throughout the event, participants explored new debate strategies, developed their argumentation and analytical thinking, and enjoyed intercultural exchange. The workshops were also supported by informal social activities. These helped to create friendships and lasting connections, all within the beautiful city of Prague.

Just like in previous years, this edition of the IDEA Youth Forum showed that it is a place where young people from different countries can learn from each other, debate important topics and break down borders. We were especially inspired by the number of participants who not only joined the workshops but also helped to lead them. All of our facilitators deserve a big thank you for their contribution.