Halle's debate star: Katharina Starzmann wins runner-up!

Halle's debate star: Katharina Starzmann wins runner-up!

There was reason to be happy in Halle: 17-year-old Katharina Starzmann achieved an impressive second place in the “Youth Debated” competition. With her eloquent performance, she not only convinced the jury, but also the approximately 550 spectators who watched the exciting debate on the question “Should a federal agency be set up to combat disinformation?” looked at. Katharina represented the contra side and impressively demonstrated that she really has mastered the tools of a debater. The competition, which offers an important platform for young people, promotes a democratic culture of debate and rhetoric among the participants.

Katharina, an eleventh grade student at the Georg-Cantor-Gymnasium, attends advanced courses in biology and math and developed a passion for debate culture at an early age. The “Jugend debatiert” competition is not only active in Germany, but is also very popular in almost 40 countries worldwide, as ghst.de reports. The international nature of the program offers participants the opportunity to develop their language skills in German and at the same time learn democratic skills, including a change of perspective and respectful handling of different opinions.

Competition structure and conditions of participation

The competition is divided into several levels: school, regional, state and finally the federal level. Schools must be registered as “partner schools” to take part in the competition. Every year around 200,000 young people take part and compete in heated debates. What many people don't know is that the participants only find out shortly before the debate whether they have to argue for or against the question, which increases the challenge for each of them.

The quality of the debate is the focus of the evaluation, not the opinion presented. Katharina emphasizes how important it is to practice changing perspectives and understanding other opinions, especially in an increasingly polarized society. “Respectful discussions are essential,” said the young runner-up.

A look into the future

Although she now takes her place on the winner's podium, Katharina will not take part in the next round of “Youth Debated” as she plans to study medicine after graduating from high school. However, she is determined to apply the skills she has learned and the importance of a respectful, democratic culture of discussion in her future life.

Programs such as “Youth Debated” not only promote democratic dialogue, but also the ability of young people to use their own words fluently. In a time when differences of opinion are often expressed loudly and rudely, Katharina shows that a respectful culture of debate is not only possible, but also necessary.

Further information about “Jugend debatiert” can also be found at jugend-debatiert-hamburg.de.