In response to the postponement of all high school debating in Aotearoa due to COVID-19, debating organisations around the country have collaborated to organise Aotearoa Online Schools’ Debating (AOSD). AOSD is the umbrella term for four free-to-enter nationwide debating leagues that will be run in a video-conferencing format during the ongoing nationwide shutdown. Our hope is that AOSD will allow students around the country to find some normalcy, have some fun, and collaborate socially through debating, at a time when almost all extracurriculars have been postponed.
AOSD will not require teacher or school participation in the organisation or administration of teams. Instead, our hope is that you would be kind enough to please forward this email to students from your school who you think might be interested in this opportunity. There is a relatively tight turnaround on registration for this competition, so we really need your help to make sure that as many students as possible get the chance to be involved. There are leagues available for both senior and junior students across a wide range of skill and experience levels.
Further information and how to register can be found on the New Zealand Schools’ Debating Council website (http://www.debating.org.nz/ao
