Benjamin Franklin Fellows Debate Competition

On Wednesday, 12 March 2014 I was a judge for the Benjamin Franklin Fellows Debate Competition hosted by the Benjamin Franklin House and the United States Embassy in London. 

I had a great afternoon judging the 14-16 year olds. Topics included 'lowering the voting age to 16', 'the right to anonymity on the internet' and 'campaign finance reform'. The students were stellar.

The best student, from the senior group, was awarded a Benjamin Franklin Fellowship to spend three weeks this summer at Wake Forest with 40 American students and 40 European students to study and debate transatlantic relations. You should have seen the face on the winner - she had no idea about the award as it was a surprise. 

Many thanks to the Benjamin Franklin House and US Embassy for allowing me to participate in this brilliant event. I can't wait to do it again next year.