Socratic Club Debating Workshop - Utsunomiya High School, Japan - 15th May 2026

We were delighted to run a debating workshop for the debating students at Utsunomiya High School in Japan. They will soon be heading to an international competition in Prague and this workshop provided a useful stepping-stone for that event. 

In the session we looked at key body language skills, projecting confidence, and anticipating opposition arguments.

We then turned to two debating motions:

1. 'This House believes the phone was/is a more important invention than the internet' &

2. 'This House believes that safety is more important than freedom'.

With the second motion we considered Benjamin Franklin's dictum 'those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety'. 

In each case we voted before and after and split into teams, working on point scoring in a competitive debating format. 

It was great to see the group grow in confidence as the session progressed, testing their English language skills and widening their vocabulary. 

Very well done all!