Share

JCI Scotland are best debaters in the world

Junior Chamber International (JCI) Scotland have returned from the JCI annual World Congress in Brussels having won the JCI World Debating Championship. The all JCI Aberdeen member team fought off stiff competition from Australia, Sweden and Turkey to bring the title back home which was last won by Scotland in 2002.

Each year in November around 5,000 JCI members from around the world come together at the biggest event in the JCI diary which is World Congress and is held in a different location each year. The annual World Congress, held in Brussels this year, is where JCI members share experiences and find new ways to create positive change on both local and global levels. At this event, JCI’s members from more than 100 countries unite to magnify the positive impact of the JCI movement.

Traditionally debating has been a very strong area for JCI Scotland, both at international and national levels, however the world title had not been won since 2002 in Las Vegas with former JCI Scotland member Gavin Brown MSP competing. The competition consisted of a knockout tournament of eight teams Australia, Canada, England, Norway, Russia, Scotland, Sweden and Turkey. After several rounds, JCI Scotland faced Australia in the final where they opposed the motion that ‘The JCI brand is not what we say but what we do’.

JCI Scotland National President Suzanne Shinnie said: “I am extremely proud of JCI Scotland’s achievement and particularly the debating team. They were professional in their delivery, witty at times and showed great teamwork which left the opposition struggling as JCI Scotland took the competition to a higher level. Scotland is currently one of the smaller national organizations in JCI, so being recognised as the best in debating is a great honour and inspiration to all our current members.”

As a result of the win, JCI Scotland will be hosting an international debating masterclass in March 2012 attracting members worldwide.

The JCI World Debating Championship continues to be sponsored by fellow Scotsman and 1963 JCI World President Eric H. Stevenson.

153 views