Wir müssen reden

Abstract

Abstract Whereas debating societies look back at a long tradition in Great Britain, in Germany rhetorical training was mostly absent from schools and universities until the early 2000 s. Over the last 20 years, however, a young debating scene has developed from this vacuum of rhetorical practice. In universities, the Verband der Debattierclubs an Hochschulen (VDCH) has been established as the umbrella organization for student debating societies, and a lively tournament scene has emerged. At school level, a format called Jugend debattiert was created, which provides a debating-curriculum for German lessons. Also, an all-German debating-competition among students is organized every year. Time to take stock after all those years: How has the German debate scene developed? What are the expectations of young people when they join debating clubs? And are their expectations met?