The VMU Debate Club Re-established Last Year Celebrates Its First Achievements
“Even when a busy Friday prevents us from holding a meeting, club members gather at a café and practice debating on their own. This shows that the VMU Debate Club has already become a community that grows and inspires one another to improve,” says Nojus Ridzevičius, the coach of the recently re-established club.
Re-established only last autumn, the VMU Debate Club has already actively entered the academic debate scene, participating in two significant tournaments. These experiences not only enhanced students’ argumentation skills but also opened doors to a warm and friendly international debating community.
VMU Debate Club
One of the highlights was participating in a tournament in Riga, Latvia, the most competitive debate event in the region, attracting top speakers from various countries. Club members had the chance to experience the atmosphere of an international tournament—from intense and heated discussions to an open and inspiring community that welcomes participants as their own. For the newly re-established VMU Debate Club, participating in such a large-scale event provided an opportunity to “warm up” and test their abilities on an international stage.
Additionally, the VMU Debate Club received a warm welcome from Lithuania’s university debate community during the “Speak Easy” beginner debaters’ tournament at Vilnius University. In this tournament, VMU representative Taisa Vashkevich was recognized as the seventh-best speaker, and her performance with teammate (who is also the chairman of the club) Alicia Diez Fernández almost led to victory in the final—just one judge’s vote separated them from first place.
VMU Debate Club
The club’s coach and restorer is delighted that a once-existing but inactive debate club was successfully revived. “I am grateful to the VMU administration for their support—the initiative to re-establish the debate club was accepted very quickly. Back in school, the debate club was the only place where I found encouragement for my curiosity and competitive spirit. I’m happy to be a coach who provides a space for others to discover how exciting this unique ‘sport’ of debating can be. Even more satisfying is seeing the student community quickly come together and enthusiastically engage in the club’s activities. It’s great to see that what I proposed not only sparked interest but, I hope, became meaningful,” says club restorer N. Ridzevičius.
One of the club members, student Taisa Vashkevich, describes her participation in the VMU Debate Club as one of the most meaningful experiences at university. “It’s not just a place where you can develop your rhetorical and argumentation skills, but also a community where it’s easy to feel accepted and encouraged, even to test out the strangest of your ideas. The club provides an opportunity not only to improve rhetoric but also to test your ideas—hear from people who think entirely differently, learn to respond with arguments, and realize that every discussion broadens your perspective,” T. Vashkevich says with certainty.
VMU Debate Club
The activities of the Debate Club are just gaining momentum—if you want to challenge yourself, find like-minded people, or engage in discussions, join us! The Debate Club welcomes anyone looking for challenges, wanting to be heard, or simply aiming to improve their English language skills.
Contact information for those interested in joining the club or learning more:
