Harness the power of debate.
I do not agree with what you have to say, but Ill defend to the death your right to say it.
- Voltaire
Welcome to Minds Underground Debating!
1-1 debate classes & group courses hosted by our Oxbridge & UK National Debate Team coaches
Debate for Girls: Read our blog: How Debating Gives Girls the Skills, Knowledge, and Confidence to Succeed
Current affairs articles, debate topic ideas & tasks
Our team includes former debate coaches from Winchester and St. Pauls Girls School, UK National Debate Team Coaches, a subject expert from BBCs televised debate show, The Big Questions, elected officers and debate co-ordinators from Oxford and Cambridges famous debating unions and International Debate Competition winners. They have come together to pioneer cutting-edge programmes, designed to propel students debating careers to similar heights.
Why Debate?
Debating can be a key part of a young person's toolbox, giving life-changing cognitive and presentational skills. It gives students the confidence, poise and self-esteem as well as the ability to structure and organise their thoughts that can take them from an irrational teen to a convincing young adult.
Public-Speaking.
Debate builds confidence in public speaking, analysis of arguments and strategic thinking. You will learn how to assert yourself vocally so you can best reflect your intelligence and aptitude in both school and out-of-school settings. Hone communication skills in an encouraging environment.
Broadening Perspectives.
Debate cuts across topics such as climate change, social media, abortion, euthanasia, free speech, voting age and artificial intelligence. Students will have the opportunity to learn about important topical issues of economic, social, political and philosophical importance, which will have a transformative effect on their intellectual lives.
Analytical Thinking.
Debating gives confidence, poise and self-esteem, as well as the ability to structure and organise thoughts. Our programmes contain key elements of logic and critical thinking that teach students how to reason and structure an argument to convincingly deliver and justify their proposition.
Oxbridge Entrance.
Could you apply to Oxford or Cambridge in the future? Oxbridge admissions tests, particularly the TSA [Thinking Skills Assessment], test students' problem-solving skills, including critical thinking skills, the ability to understand an argument; and to reason using everyday language. Practising debate will serve students well for both these tests and the notorious interview process.
Current Courses.
Senior Debate
Join our Autumn Debating Course! Wednesdays, 6-7pm over Zoom. Give us a call to discuss your debating experience [07772211241].
Junior Debate
Join our Young Minds [9-12] Debate course! Give us a call to discuss your childs debating experience [07772211241].
Current Affairs Insights
CURRENT AFFAIRS FOSTERS CRITICAL AND SOPHISTICATED THINKING.
Debating inherently requires a good level of awareness of current events. You will debate important topical issues, which can be prepared in advance or be based around that day's newspaper or Opinion section. To succeed at debate, you must train your skills of analysis, and so we have curated a series of articles to engage with and critique. Focus on case-file building - keep a record of topics you come across and build upon these in your free time.
The Economist is a brilliant source to increase general awareness of subject-specific current affairs for personal statement writing and university interviews. The magazine [and Economist podcasts] are not only fantastic for aspiring economists, but students preparing for a whole array of STEM and Humanities courses. In this Curious Minds digest, we explore five of the Economists top 10 trends for the world ahead in 2022, posing a range of Oxbridge interview-style questions and offering reading suggestions for students looking beyond the syllabus in their degree preparation.
Scams such as the latest Bill Gates twitter hacking debacle, where the hacker[s] are estimated to have earned $120000, are on the rise. While social media is an excellent way of staying interconnected with other people, that very network provides a breeding ground for shareable tricks and scams - is it worth it? This article aims to get you thinking and debating in response to some of the most pressing questions of our digital age.
Global history and literature is more important than ever in our current world. Not only is it important in a high-brow sense in terms of understanding the global, political landscape, but it also explains our everyday lives with our increasingly transnational and globalised cultures..
While the world media stage fights to point the spotlight on the current global pandemic, it is only natural that other stories find themselves sat in the wings. In such challenging times, we have a responsibility to remain informed about wider world news although it may seem like all conflict, other political issues, climate changes, and technological advancements have come to a halt for COVID-19, this is very much not the case. See our current news digest on things happening in the world that arent related to COVID-19.
In an age of pandemic, right-wing populism, fake news and environmental chaos, it is imperative that we keep abreast of what is going on in this volatile world we live in. In this news digest, journalist, Georgia, distills key happenings in the UK and the world at large, and provides suggestions of points of analysis in reaction to those events for you to consider and digest.