Bergen County Debate Club to Compete in International Debate Contest Finals in New York City
Bergen County Debate Club to Compete in International Debate Contest Finals in New York City
Students vie for $10,000 grand prize
April 14, 2022 – Students from Bergen County Debate Club from Fort Lee, New Jersey, are packing their bags for an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City to compete as finalists in the 21st annual International Public Policy Forum (IPPF) global debate competition.
The team has advanced to the “Elite 8” round of the IPPF, a global debate contest sponsored by the Brewer Foundation and New York University (NYU). Students are debating the topic, “Resolved: On balance, the hegemony of the United States dollar is detrimental to the world economy.”
The IPPF Finals will take place on Saturday, April 30, at The Harold Pratt House in New York City. Bergen County Debate Club will be one of eight teams – representing schools from five U.S. states, Canada and Singapore – competing for the right to be named the “IPPF World Champion” and a $10,000 grand prize.
“These students earned an opportunity to compete in a debate forum unlike any other – the IPPF Finals,” says William A. Brewer III, chairman of the Brewer Foundation and founder of the IPPF. “They will now supplement months of written scholarship with oral arguments in pursuit of the title of 2022 IPPF World Champion. We are eager to return to New York City – and host what promises to be one of the most exciting debate events of the year.”
The IPPF is the only competition that gives high school students from around the world the opportunity to engage in written and oral debates on issues of public policy. The debate competition was founded in 2001 by the Brewer Foundation to promote academic achievement and public advocacy.
This year’s competition began in October 2021, as more than 120 teams submitted qualifying round essays on this year’s topic. The essays were reviewed by a committee, which determined the top 64 teams based on the overall quality of each 2,800-word essay.
In November, the “Round of 64” teams began a single-elimination, written debate competition. Each team was assigned a position (affirmative or negative) and then volleyed papers back and forth with another team via email for the next six weeks. A panel of judges reviewed the essays and selected the winning teams. The next two rounds also took place in written form.
The IPPF Finals give students the opportunity to participate in oral debates in front of some of the world’s foremost experts in debate, business, law and politics. This year, IPPF judges will include Brewer, NYU President Emeritus Dr. John Sexton, NYU Stern School of Business Dean Raghu Sundaram, Above the Law Senior Editor Kathryn Rubino and Miha Andric, an international debate coach and communication teacher based in Slovenia. The winning team will take home the “Brewer Cup” and the $10,000 grand prize.
A competition bracket for the IPPF Finals is available on the IPPF website: www.ippfdebate.com.
The “Elite 8” teams are:
Amity Regional High School from Woodbridge, Connecticut
Bergen County Debate Club from Fort Lee, New Jersey
The Davidson Academy of Nevada from Reno, Nevada
Extraordinary Education Centre from Toronto, ON, Canada
Pine-Richland High School from Gibsonia, Pennsylvania
Potomac Oak from Rockville, Maryland
Ministry of Education, Singapore
North Allegheny Senior High School from Wexford, Pennsylvania
About the IPPF and the Brewer Foundation:
The IPPF was founded in 2001 by the Brewer Foundation and is now jointly administered with New York University. The program is available to all high schools around the world – public and private – for free. The IPPF is endorsed by leading forensic agencies, such as the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues, the International Debate Education Association, the Impact Coalition, Associated Leaders of Urban Debate Leagues, and the National Debate Coaches Association.
The Brewer Foundation is a private, non-profit organization funded by companies, individuals and the national litigation firm of Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors. With offices in New York and Dallas, the Foundation has achieved widespread recognition for its efforts to create, fund and manage a variety of educational outreach programs.
Visit the IPPF at www.ippfdebate.com, www.facebook.com/ippfdebate, or on Twitter at @IPPF1.
