Emilie Zhang, G9, RDF International School

Holding a debate competition was my short-term goal in my school , which I finally achieved this year. As the person in charge of this event, I was very nervous about this first school-level competition, because it had never been held there before.

First of all, I needed to determine the personnel assignment. There were members who maintained the official account, shot the promotional video, did editing work, and purchased materials. The members and I met every 10 days to discuss the event’s progress, and sometimes we had emergency meetings to deal with unexpected difficulties.

Second, I needed to determine who we should invite to watch the debate. In the beginning, when we released the poster and posted the information on the official account, the enthusiasm of students was not very high, and people seldom signed up to be in the audience. To spread the word about the debate competition, the vice president and I gave several presentations to introduce the event.

As time went by, more and more students got to know about the debate event and signed up for our competition!

From material purchases to staff consultations and site selection to the showpiece, I personally followed all the procedures, worrying that a minor accident would ruin the whole event. As it was my first time holding an event, I was very anxious and nervous. It was my team members that gave me confidence. They were all cooperative and always stayed beside me when I needed them. Their support and trust made me relax.

Through preparing for the debate competition, I not only learned the skills and language of debate, but also learned more about how to stabilize my emotions and do each step without a hurry. It is also applicable to every challenge I will meet in the future.