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The WIDPSC Hong Kong Team Trials 2023 was held earlier today, with more than 40 participants from 19 schools. Thank you again to all participants your enthusiastic participation. We are beyond excited to begin a new chapter with the new team members, and would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to all competitors for their hard work over the past months! We hope that your time polishing speeches, choosing readings and preparing impromptus have been more than rewarding.

The new Hong Kong Team members are:

1. Tingting Zhang (Chinese International School)
2. Christine Lam (Hong Kong International School)
3. Mark Jin-Kang Lee (Diocesan Boys’ School)
4. Peony Sham (Harrow International School)
5. Vijay Narayanan (Island School)
6. Nandini Tatiwala (Hong Kong International School)
7. Adele Li (Chinese International School)
8. Lily Haylett (South Island School)
9. Hilary Tam (Diocesan Girls’ School)
10. Cynthia Huang (Hong Kong International School)

Reserve 1: Evan Chow (Diocesan Boys’ School)
Reserve 2: Eric Wu (Chinese International School)

We once again thank all judges and coaches who have given up their time selflessly and tirelessly such that this competition could be run smoothly and to such a high standard, to all the student helpers who helped us transition back to in-person competing so effectively, and Diocesan Boys’ School for lending us their school campus for the day. We are grateful for your kind cooperation with us throughout the competition process and hope it was gratifying for you all. These trials – and the continued success of public speaking in Hong Kong – could not be possible without you.

Thank you again and we look forward to seeing you at our future events!

Dear members of the Hong Kong public speaking community,

We are pleased to announce that Trials for the Hong Kong WIDPSC Team will be taking place on January 7, 2023. After the success of last year, we look forward to writing the next chapter of our WIDPSC Team! 

In light of the updated covid regulations in Hong Kong,  this year’s open selection trials will be held in-person, at Diocesan Boys’ School. Students and teachers attending the selection trial will need to comply with the Vaccine Pass requirements as mandated by the government. 

For all the information about the Trials, WIDPSC speaking categories and more, please refer to the PDF leaflet attached. Please pay particular attention to speech times, which have been modified to best facilitate the schedule and effectiveness of the Trials. 

The registration link is below. Given the time it takes for the students to prepare, we have allowed for nearly a month for registration to be completed before December 12: https://forms.gle/CyrBAr7psMvTAEM99 

In order to facilitate the Trials, a registration fee of $50 will be collected from each competitor. Further details about payment will be forwarded after your registration is confirmed. Please keep an eye out for updates with further information about logistics on the competition day.

As with previous years, the top 10 speakers from the Trials will secure spots in the Hong Kong Team. This year, there will also be a new opportunity for students to qualify for the Team. Pending availability, students who have participated in the Trials can also apply to compete in Australasians 2023, against students from Korea, China and Australia, held between Jan 27-29, 2023. The top two Hong Kong students from Australasians will also join the Hong Kong Team.

We look forward to seeing competitors sign up and finally experiencing in-person speeches. Building on the excellent results last year, we are ready to showcase the best of Hong Kong public speaking!

Sincerely,

WIDPSC Coaching Team

After four days of trials and over 100 applicants, HKDSC is delighted to announce its 9 person main team and 11 person development team.

The main team is (in no particular order):

• Alexandra Uy-Tioco
• Jenny Kim
• Zachary Too
• Rachel Lang
• Nicole Wong
• Edgar Cheng
• Kyle Chong
• Lauren Tse
• Valerie Choi

And will be coached primarily by Harish Natatajan, Jason Xiao, and Janko Djordjevic.

The development team is (in no particular order):

• Nadia Venetz
• Advik Sharma
• Kong Sai Hang, Nicholas
• Jeanine Cheng
• Regina Uy-Tioco
• David Hong
• Yao Yue Seng Ellisha
• Nick Shi
• Moses Lai
• Evan Chow
• Mollie Mei

The team will be coached primarily by Marta Vasic, John Chang, and Janko Djordjevic.

We are delighted to open applications for the 2023 Hong Kong’s World Schools Debating team. The team will participate at the World Schools Debating Championships (WSDC) held in person from 18th to 28th July in Hanoi, Vietnam 2023.

Selections

The Hong Kong Debate & Speech Community will select an initial 8 student team, with the final five that will compete at WSDC decided in 2023. 

In addition, we will select a development squad of between 12-16 students. Those eligible for the development squad will have at least one additional year of high school after the current school year (graduating in 2024 or later).

In order to apply you must be no younger than 14 on 18th July 2023, and no older than 19.You must be attending a High School in Hong Kong. 

The decision on the selection of both the squads and the final team will be made by the current head coaches of the HK WSDC team and the coaches of the Hong Kong development team.

HKSDC is a non-profit organization. No one who is paid to coach any trialist will judge the trials. The coaches of HK WSDC will not consider the comments or recommendations from such sources either.  

Trials

Trials will be held via Zoom on weekday evenings from 17-20 October via Zoom. (From 7pm HKT onwards), with the schedule depending on the trialists’ availability.  

Prospective trialists will be required to submit their details and debating experiences by 23.59HKT on 10 Oct. All applicants will be informed whether they are called for a trial by 12 Oct. 

Those called to selections will be determined on the basis of their previous debating and speaking experience.

If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Harish Natarajan at hknatarajan@gmail.com or info@hkdsc.org

To apply please fill out the following form:

https://forms.gle/JGooeLzi4kDP82WcA

We look forward to seeing your applications!

Dear Hong Kong Debating and Public Speaking Community,

Senior SDC is returning in October! Here are the key details:

Team Registration Form: https://forms.gle/QSESwnq3DzLZG9rt7

Registration deadline: 18 September 23:59 (All times in UTC +8) 

Date: 8 October 08:00-18:30 (preliminary rounds); 9 October 09:00-17:00 (break rounds). 

Venue: Online. 

Cost: HKD 400 per team.

Eligibility: 3-5 members per team; Forms 4-6 / Years 10-13 / Grades 10-12.

Adjudicators: Each team must provide at least one adjudicator. A second team must be accompanied by a second adjudicator.

Team cap: 24 teams.

Format: WSDC – 8-minute main speech with points of information, 4-minute replies.

Draw: R1 random; R2-4 power-paired; QF-GF folded knockout draw.

Awards: Top Ten Speaker awards (debaters contesting 3 or more prelim debates are eligible); Top 8 teams break to Quarterfinals. Priority for second teams will go to previously underrepresented schools.

Schedule

Day 1

08:00 – 08:15:               Registration and roll-call

08:15 – 08:45:               Tournament briefing

08:45 – 10:25:               Round 1 prepared debate + feedback

10:25 – 10:40:               Break

10:40 – 10:55:               Prep time for round 2 semi-prepared debate

10:55 – 12:35:               Round 2 semi-prepared debate + feedback

12:35 – 13:15:               Lunch break

13:15 – 13:30:               Prep time for round 3 semi-prepared debate

13:30 – 15:10:               Round 3 semi-prepared debate + feedback

15:10 – 15:25:               Break

15:25 – 16:10:               Prep time for round 4 impromptu debate

16:10 – 17:40:               Round 4 impromptu debate (silent round)

17:40 – 18:00:               Tabulation of results

18:00 – 18:30:               Break announcement, prizes for top speakers

Day 2

09:15 – 09:30:               Registration and roll-call

09:30 – 11:00:               Quarter-final prepared debate

11:00 – 11:30:               Announcement of QF results and feedback

11:30 – 12:15:               Prep time for Semi-final impromptu debate

12:15 – 13:45:               Semi-final impromptu debate

13:45 – 14:15:               Announcement of SF results and feedback

14:15 – 15:00:               Prep time for grand-final impromptu debate

15:00 – 16:30:               Grand-final impromptu debate

16:30 – 17:00:               Announcement of GF result and prize presentation

*Note that GF is now impromptu instead of semi-prepared, preparation time will be amended to 45 minutes

For more information and any enquiries, please contact us at info@hkdsc.org. We look forward to seeing your teams and judges at SDC 2022!

Making history for our city, the Hong Kong team has taken home the champion at WSDC 2022, for the first time since the championship’s inception 35 years ago. This year, the World Schools Debating Championships (WSDC) was held online between 8th to 18th of August, 2022. A total of 66 countries participated, competing live through Zoom in the Eastern and Western divisions divided by time-zones.

In the preliminary rounds, Hong Kong team faced the following teams: 

Vietnam

UAE

Indonesia

Malaysia

China

Sri Lanka

Singapore

Bangladesh

Hong Kong won 22 out of 24 possible ballots, with the highest score of both divisions. Breaking first, Hong Kong then went to face Pakistan in the Octo-Finals, Ireland in the Quarter-Finals, Singapore in the Semi-Finals, before facing China in the Grand Finals for the second time in a row.

In the end, Hong Kong brought it home with a 9-0 win. In addition, four speakers ranked in the Top 10, with Madeleine Wu at 2nd place, Dhruv Leekha at 3rd place, Chloe Tse at 4th place and Jenny Kim at 6th place.

The stunning results could not have been achieved without the unparalleled dedication of coach Harish Natarajan, who has been with the Hong Kong team for the past two years. This year’s coaching team also included Jason Xiao and Janko Djordjevic, whose efforts the team could not have done without.

For further information on the Netherlands WSDC 2022, please visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/wsdc2022/

Congratulations once again to the team for their unprecedented achievement, and thanks to all involved for their incredibly hard work over the course of the past academic year!

Flashpoint 2022 has come to a close!

In the two weeks spanning from July 18th-29th, the annual summer debating workshop was held to much success. The event saw a turnout of 90 participants across six different skill groups, where experienced trainers provided catered lesson plans and personalized training.

A huge thank you to all our trainers, exco members, and participants for joining us, and we hope to see you again next year!

Job Title: Secretary, Hong Kong Debate and Speech Community

Reports To: Chairman, Board of Directors

Job Overview: You will be responsible for managing communications and publicity for the HKDSC’s competitions and other events; monitoring emails and social media pages, and providing ad-hoc assistance in other areas when needed.

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Managing sign-ups, draws and email communications with judges, speakers and coaches in the run-up and follow-up to 5-6 competitions throughout the academic year;
• Tracking payment information, handling receipts and invoices regarding registration fees;
• Writing and posting tournament updates for social media accounts and website;
• If possible, tabbing for certain tournaments when needed.

We are looking for a team member who has:

• Good understanding (and preferably at least some experience) of the debate and public speaking circuit in Hong Kong, including participation in or organization of tournaments
• A keen eye for detail
• Efficiency, self-motivation, enthusiasm and drive
• Good command of English, and ability to write in accessible language for social media
• Ability to navigate and manage online databases and information systems (e.g. Gmail, Google Drive, Facebook Suite, WordPress)
• Demonstrable commitment to meeting deadlines

Remuneration:

• HKD$150 / hour
• A tentative cap of 40 hours per month

To apply, please fill out this application form: https://forms.gle/BqHD8HdJcUa8QbmY7

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 15 AUGUST 2022 11:59PM HKT.

https://docs.google.com/…/1zwTdNdZRldQAnI0jFXpW…/edit…

FLASHPOINT 2022 SIGN UPS ARE OPEN!

Flashpoint is an annual debate workshop designed for up-and-coming secondary school debaters. This is an excellent opportunity to learn from and be coached by passionate and talented student debaters in Hong Kong!

We’ll be hosting the workshop over Zoom on July 18, 20, 22, 25, 27, and 29 from 3:30-6:00pm.

Registrations close on June 19th! Click here to sign up or learn more. 

For WIDPSC 2022 (World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championship), which was held online by The Country Day School, Hong Kong sent a delegation of 12 students. At the Grand Finals held on April 17 (Sun), Nicholas Chung made a speech that outlines how we face death and terminal patient care; in the end, this heartfelt piece won Hong Kong the Champion in the Persuasive Speaking category, for the first time since Heather Pickerell in 2011.

GRAND FINALS VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/LXgx7e7EebQ?t=1135

Among 115 contestants from 13 countries, we had 9 students ranking in Top 35:

33rd – Charlie Lam (Island School)

33rd – Nicholas Chung (Diocesan Boys’ School)

31st – Hilary Lau (Diocesan Girls’ School)

25th – Peony Sham (Sha Tin College)

16th – Maria Katrina Flauta (Renaissance College Hong Kong)

10th – Lauren Ing (Chinese International School)

7th – Christine Lam (Hong Kong International School)

5th – Megan Chan (Renaissance College Hong Kong)

4th – Mark Lee (Diocesan Boys’ School)

The rank of 4th overall was also the highest rank achieved by a Hong Kong student since Madhav Menon in 2013. During Finals rounds on April 9-10, the team broke into 15 positions across all five categories, representing our city in public speaking — speeches both humorous and serious, dramatic prose reading and vigorous debating.

This has been the first year when EVERYTHING from the Trials to the competition had been held online without a single offline training, yet this team braved these circumstances to create the best results in recent years. Besides applauding their diligence in training every Sunday between the January trials and April competitions, we must also extend our thanks to the larger coaching team this year – Joan Cho, Lilian Chow, My Thanh Mac, Leo Zen, Kenneth Chan and our alumni Markandeya Karthik and Chloe Yeung.

In researching for this blurb, one looks back at the heydays of the early 2010s, when Hong Kong students were displaying their talent and verve at WIDPSC in similar capacity. Without the foundation built by the stalwart coaches and members back then, we would not be here. We take the results of today humbly and will continue to provide opportunities for youngsters of our city to speak on the international stage.

Much thanks must finally go to the gracious hosts at CDS, Ms Kerstin Wyndham West and Ms Tracey Scott, for making this tournament possible.

Sincerely,

Coaches of WIDPSC Hong Kong team