The role of debate in cognitive development and development of civic awareness of young people - a qualitative analysis

Debate as a method is increasingly being utilised in both school and out-of-school settings, aiming to develop certain cognitive, emotional, and interpersonal skills, while also equipping young people with the competencies to actively participate in their social and political communities. Education through debate, as a distinctive form of non-formal education, is thus becoming an integral part of young people?s lives. The development of critical thinking, heightened selfesteem, improved rhetoric, organizational prowess, effective presentation, and argumentation abilities, along with the fostering of citizenship, play a pivotal role in aiding underprivileged youth to become more constructive contributors to their communities. These proficiencies and goals, demonstrated within this paper, exemplify the diverse skill set that debate fosters. This paper brings the results of a qualitative study conducted across four countries (Croatia, Slovenia, Poland, and the Netherlands) regarding the advantages of debate. It offers empirical evidence that one of the ways to have responsible, conscious, aware, vigilant, and selfconfident citizens is by incorporating debate in their (non)formal education.