Katrin-Lisa Laius is a graduate of Tallinn German Gymnasium, who won an admirable second place in the international finals of Jugend debattiert in 2019.
1. What inspired / Who encouraged you to participate in Jugend debattiert?
I’m going to be honest, I didn’t want to go. The 11th grade is a very difficult one regarding studying and other than that I had enough to do outside of school anyway. My classmate had promised to our teacher that they would go to Jugend debattiert, but reconsidered and asked me to take their
place.
I didn’t want to go, but since we were good friends I decided to accept. I came with to the qualifications as a substitute, because otherwise there wouldn’t have been enough people for full debate teams, so four people. They promised me that I wouldn't be evaluated and given points to. After the first debate my teacher, Mister Voss, went to ask the other teachers why I wasn’t competing. Apparently I had done quite well. Then a whole group of teachers came to ask, why I wasn’t competing and if maybe I would reconsider. I didn’t want to, but it seemed weird to decline considering the teachers themselves came to ask me to compete. So I agreed, but everywhere I went I whined, that I don’t want to, that I’m being forced etc. It really did seem that way at the time and sometimes it was mentally challenging to be there, because I felt out of place. I constantly thought about how I didn’t want to be there and that I’m being forced etc. Eleventh grade was difficult. In the end I’m very thankful for Mister Voss, that I took part in the project and that I made it that far.
2. What do you like about debating? / Why do you like debating?
Honestly I don’t like it in the sense that I usually try to avoid conflict when people start to discuss some very controversial topics like vaccines, then I would rather stay quiet than get in a fight with someone. Usually if there is a tricky question then I think it through in my head, talk to myself about it and find a solution, but with others around I tend to keep my mouth shut even if I have something to say.
I like that debating makes you think and analyse. I quite often have an opinion on something that just exists and is based on no proof or anything. If you suddenly need to defend that opinion, then you start to really think why it's right or wrong, if it has any exact examples to prove that I’m right or a strong argument of sorts that you can’t argue with etc. That way we begin to analyse why we have an opinion and if it’s even right, so if I truly believe it or if it is just a popular opinion and if I maybe just agree to differentiate from the others. It is normally pretty difficult to convince someone with a very specific opinion to think otherwise, which is why we have to think hard about what and how to tell them so that they would agree that I’m right, not them. If the other person can also debate their side then it’s even better, then you can often come to the conclusion that the world isn’t black and white and that no opinion can be 100% right or wrong.
During debates it is important to listen to what the other person has to say and not just wait for your turn to speak. If you take Jugend debattiert then there the rules are set in the way that you have to listen to the other debaters and answer exactly to that. That is one aspect I really liked about the competition, because oftentimes while discussing or fighting in everyday situations we tend to not listen to what others have to say.
3. Would you say it is difficult to debate in German? Why/Why not?
Surely it’s more difficult to put your own thoughts into words than in Estonian. Still I feel that in our school (Tallinna Saksa Gümnaasium) we have a high enough language level until the tenth/eleventh grade that we can debate quite nicely. For example, I can’t remember that I would have had problems with understanding the language. During the preparation for debates I didn’t need to translate every other word, the same during debates - I don’t remember hearing anyone say something that I didn’t understand. The vocabulary was already good enough, so I don't think it's very difficult for students in our school to understand the language.
However, it is certainly difficult to start talking to yourself. I may know the word I need, but I don't remember it at the right time. Grammar was usually completely forgotten. In my opinion, it is related to the fact that we don't learn speaking that much at school. Rather, we do things in writing, and everyone can put together beautiful and logical sentences in writing, because there is time to think about where what is going. However, when speaking, you are not given so much time to think, you have to say right away. Then the nerves come into play and finally the whole German language goes out of mind.
But practise makes perfect, and after a while you can start to talk well.
4. You have been outside of Estonia with the project, what was your most memorable moment?
I’m not even sure. I went to Budapest for the finals week and I have to say that the whole week was full of great moments. For example for two nights, so before the semi-finals and before the finals, when we sat in Mrs Reissaar's room, the four of us, so Polina (the second participant from Estonia), Kadri (Alumna from Estonia) and teacher Kaja Reissaar and together we prepared me for the next debate. It was very homely, we could talk and laugh a lot. Somehow it was very good to feel so much support and faith in me that I didn't have in myself. I should point out that I was very lucky with the people who surrounded me at the time, and all the Estonians who came to Budapest were very helpful and supportive. I am still very grateful.
5. What do you say in retrospect, In what ways did participating in Jugend debattiert benefit you?
It certainly came in handy. First of all, I am a big coward, and speaking in front of a larger audience has always been a great challenge for me. I can't say that I'm not afraid to perform now, but I've probably learned to deal with my fears a little better. Thanks to my participation in Jugend debattiert, I have gained many new acquaintances and friends, with whom I had many common goals at the time, which made it easier for us to help and support each other.
Apparently, Jugend debattiert contributed to my self-expression skills in German, because in school we don’t talk so much or talk in half sentences or one word at a time, depending on what's being asked of us. However, during the debates we had to speak in logical sentences, which others would also understand. At the same time, I have to say that I didn't start to speak better grammatically, on the contrary: all the articles and everything else just goes lost, no one corrects us and everyone else also speaks grammatically wrong. Jugend debattiert just helps you start talking, but it's up to you to speak correctly. If you don't bother with it and think about it,then the grammar won't get better on its own.
Jugend debattiert has certainly benefited me with my current scholarship. I am studying in Germany and receiving financial support from a DAAD scholarship, and I am pretty sure that participating in Jugend debattiert played a big role in applying for and receiving the scholarship.
6. What do you think this competition can do for a democratic society?
It seems very positive to me that before the debate it is not possible to choose which side, for or against, the participant will debate for. Positions will be drawn on the spot 20 minutes before the debate. Thus, participants often have to represent opinions they don’t agree with. In preparation for the debate, it is necessary to prepare the arguments of both sides, to read different opinions, including those with which you don’t agree. It seems to me that in today's society, the other side of the problem very often stays unseen. People's opinions are becoming more radical and they want to listen to each other less and less. In my opinion, social media has motivated this a lot. New algorithms are capable of understanding what a person believes or thinks and only show news and articles that share the same views as the reader. The more a person looks at these one-sided things, the more will it be offered to them. In the end, the readers think that only they are right, because there is so much information that matches their beliefs. In reality, however, the opposite opinion is exactly the same, but if a person does not want to see it then social media will make it so that they will not see it. However in Jugend debattiert the topics must be seen from both sides, and I think that is very important in a democratic society. It seems to me that the problem today is that people have different, even radical, opinions. The problem is that people are not willing to see or listen to people with different opinions.
The importance of introducing young people to political life and showing how democracy works and what the current problems are must also be mentioned. Many young people, myself included, do not know or want to know what is going on in politics at all. However, this attitude is quite dangerous, because it shows that we take democracy and our freedom for granted. In fact, this is not the case. Everyone has the opportunity to help build a better society around them and that opportunity should be seized.