Hirschmann Scholarship at Universities of Applied Sciences
swissuniversities; Chamber of Universities of Applied Sciences / YES Young Enterprise Switzerland
Implementation of the first Hirschmann debate workshop
In November, 23 scholars of the Hirschmann Foundation immersed themselves in the world of structured debating – strengthening key skills for university, career, and democratic participation.
Introduction to the Youth Debates method
As part of a multi-part debating program conducted by YES (Young Enterprise Switzerland), the participants received a practical introduction to the Youth debates (Jugend debattiert) method. YES has been committed to supporting young people in the areas of economic education, entrepreneurship, and social responsibility for years. Through Youth debate, the organisation teaches essential skills such as strong argumentation, perspective-taking, and respectful communication.
From digital kick-off to in-person workshop
Following a digital kick-off, where participants learned the fundamentals of debate structure and defined their own discussion questions, the scholars met on 22 November at the Demokratieturm in Bern for the in-person session. The Youth debates method is based on clear roles, fixed speaking times, and fair, fact-based discussion. In addition to subject knowledge, evaluation criteria include expressiveness, communication skills, persuasiveness, and fairness.
In various modules, participants honed their presentation skills and demonstrated their abilities in multilingual debates. Inspiring inputs from Jonas Lüthy and Zora Arbenz, both former winners of the Youth debates National Finale, particularly deepened the art of delivering a concise opening speech. The program concluded with a debate on the question: “Should voting be made compulsory in Switzerland?” A glimpse of the final debate can be seen in the video below.
A successful start
The event highlighted the importance of being able to argue based on facts, actively listen, and constructively connect different perspectives. The first Hirschmann Debating Workshop was a complete success.
Trailer for the debate workshop in November 2025
