Portable Skills? Ukrainian Debate Leagues as a Pathway to Political Engagement
By Jacob Brace and Adrian Mazepa (Local Head of Ukrainian Scouts Organization – Buffalo, New York Branch)
In the midst of a devastating conflict that could make even the strongest of advocates lose faith in political engagement, one unlikely player is changing the game for youth in Ukraine: urban debate leagues. Indeed, the International Debate Education Association (IDEA) has set forward strong initiatives amongst Ukrainian refugees as part of the Speak Together project, working to foster dialogue and discussion amongst marginalized youth. While the primary purpose of these initiatives remains related to providing an outlet for youth to vent and express themselves after traumatic events, they also remain a strong vector of political engagement, providing members with the advocacy skills necessary to tackle major geopolitical issues.
Funded through the European Union’s Erasmus+ grant (a funding initiative dedicated to, among other things, promoting young people’s participation in democratic life), Speak Together has successfully organized over 1,000 workshops for young people, creating new spaces for Ukrainian youth to learn to politically organize. Support from Erasmus+ has transformed IDEA’s initiatives into a practical form of political training, which is especially significant in Ukraine where the destruction spreads well-beyond physical infrastructure; conflict has disrupted the usual channels through which young people form political opinions, express concerns, and participate in civic life. One 2024 UNDP supported study on the impact of war on Ukrainian youth found a need to strengthen civic engagement and involve more young individuals in recovery efforts as the Russian invasion continues to shape their social opportunities. Importantly, during times of war, political engagement, especially by youth, cannot be measured by political activity such as voting or membership in political parties. For many young Ukrainians, engagement is rooted within rebuilding social trust and debating the efforts of public programs to determine Ukraine's future. The share of young people reporting a breakdown in relationships with friends or family rose from 18% to 27% while willingness to participate in community efforts declined from 72% in 2023 to 59% in 2024.
However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a willingness to engage, as the same study found that youth volunteering increased from 30% to 34%. These numbers suggest that although young Ukrainians are intent on rebuilding their societies, they are not politically driven. Rather, they find themselves under intense societal pressure to rebuild a broken and damaged society. Debate initiatives such as IDEA’s respond to those demands by giving youth a structured civic space where they can rebuild confidence and connect their personal experiences to larger questions about democracy and national identity, providing a pathway to turning volunteer efforts towards long-term political gains.
Beyond simply teaching students practical skills and encouraging critical thinking, debate leagues provide additional unexpected benefits for young people who experience unusually traumatic events. For many young Ukrainians, speaking their mind and advocating for the ideas they believe has been, at one point or another, genuinely life-threatening. That means the very act of engaging in dialogue becomes tied to feelings of unrest and danger, preventing political advocacy. Debate leagues functionally change that association, by creating a connection between a safe and welcoming atmosphere and political dialogue, thereby reversing the harms created via past trauma.
For Ukrainian youth, debate is able to become more than just an outlet for expression, it becomes a civic bridge between personal wartime experience and political participation. By teaching young Ukrainians how to construct and organize arguments as well as defend ideas publicly, these programs find the silver lining through the hardship and shape Ukrainian youth into long-term advocates. For a generation required to rebuild their nation, these skills are not just viable; they are a necessity.