When I think about debating, I think of adventure, dream and opportunity. Shy, afraid, plain and mundane as I was, I never thought for a second that I can make it so far. I had and still have to some extent a fear of public speaking. I could not utter a single word in front of an audience without shaking like a leaf. I started debating nonetheless. Two years ago, when a freshmen approached me about joining the YAV debating club I immediately agreed. During my first session I barely made sense of the BP format and only finished 2 min of my 7 min speech. Despite all, it was fun. Actually, it was so fun that I couldn’t stop debating ever since. Things started to escalate as Tunisia boxing 2016 was looming. We had intensive training sessions and we made it to the competition. Our team did pretty well considering it was our first time. We didn’t win, we didn’t qualify even but I was very happy because it became clear that we had potential. We made it our goal to win next year. I took charge of the club. It was extremely challenging as the club went through some difficult times and lost some of its founding and very dedicated members. Miraculously, we made it to the Tunisian universities debating championship 2017 and we won the whole thing. It was among the most intense, satisfying and rewarding experiences of my life. Upon wining we had the opportunity to participate in an international debating school in Lisbon Portugal where we gained valuable experience debating more advanced teams. We played at top rooms and we held our ground against more experienced debaters. We returned with more confidence in our skills and potential. The debating chapter is not over yet for me as I am constantly looking for opportunities to further sharpen my skills and give back to the young Tunisian debate community. Debating have taught me a lot and made me grow as a person on so many levels. I learnt that each story has two sides to it. I improved my critical thinking skills exponentially. Most importantly I am much comfortable and confident when speaking publicly. I am very grateful to those who introduced me to the amazing world of
debating.
Takwa Gnenn
SUP’COM debating club former coordinator and president.
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