The Annual Making Time National Debate 2015

Making Time Debate 3rd Annual Final, Galway 

      #MakingTimeDebate2015   

This year on the 25^th March the 3rd Annual Making Time National Debate (MTD) was held at NUI Galway. This year the MTD final was hosted in collaboration with the fledgling Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security Society (CCAFS) of NUI Galway, led by Student Outreach Group (SOG) member Colm Duffy. The CCAFS hosted their first Climate Congress, a day-long conference, in association with the Irish Forum for Global Health (IFGH) and the SOG, then closed the day’s activities with the final of the Making Time Debate. The aim of this joint event was to encourage the discussion of global health, and in particular climate change and global inequality, among students. This joint event also gives the opportunity for students and professionals to meet and network.

The Annual Making Time National Debate was founded in 2012 by Student Outreach Group of the IFGH in partnership with Ronan Rooney and the Making Time Foundation. The debates are a student led and student centred activity and throughout each of the MTD events, SOG members are responsible for organising the entire event, down to setting the motion and the social media output. According to specialists from http://www.termpapermaster.com the debates have been successful in engaging students with global health issues and connecting students and professionals interested or working in global health.

Aims of the Making Time Debate:

• Raise awareness of global health issues among students and facilitate informed discussions among students about these issues.
• Establish the MTD as a learning experience FOR students organised BY students.
• Include students from regions outside of Dublin in the event organisation.
• Reach a larger audience of students to raise awareness.

The motion for this year’s debate was,

‘This House Believes

Climate Change will be the Biggest Driver of Inequality in the Developing World’.

As with previous years, the motion was topical and challenged debaters and audience alike to shift their perspective. The 4 teams that participated represented Trinity College Dublin, NUI Galway, University of Limerick, and University College Dublin.

Teams:   

• Trinity College Dublin: Nicola Walsh, Katie Wolohan
• NUI Galway: Conor Kelly, Shane
• University of Limerick: Sanskriti Sasikumar, Leah
• University College Dublin: Amin Manssouri, Riya Varman

 (pictured on the right with representatives from the IFGH, the SOG and CCAFS)

The arguments for and against came thick and fast with points being made about the fact that climate change, as a poorly addressed global issue, will in years to come become increasingly problematic. However, those worst affected will be those who have contributed least to the problem. This point was countered by the argument that climate change is already being tackled and it would be addressed before humanity could relinquish its capitalist, money grubbing tendencies that create a biased economic and financial framework for our world and this would be the biggest driver of inequality in the future. In the end the proposition won and the NUIG team won the prestigious prize of €400 each to spend on educational activities.

The winning team from NUI Galway pictured with Nadine Ferris France, IFGH (left) and Colm Duffy, CCAFS, Chiedza McClean, IFGH SOG and Bryne Gilmre, IFGH SOG (right).

Special thanks go to Ronan Rooney and the Making Time Foundation, all SOG members involved, and the CCAFS members.