Have you ever been deeply moved by an idea or felt your blood stirred by a brilliant argument? Do you long to stand at the debater’s podium, conquering the audience with logic and language? The Beijing City International School Speak Up Chinese Debate Contest is precisely that stage, where you can articulate with 礼 (courtesy), enlighten with 情 (empathy), refute with 度 (measure) and debate with 节 (propriety)!

Beijing City International School, in collaboration with the Beijing City International School Speak Up Chinese Debate Contest Organizing Committee, cordially invites students from all schools to participate in the 2026 Beijing City International School Speak Up Chinese Debate Contest – an intellectual feast for critical thinkers!

About the Speak Up Chinese Debate Contest

The Speak Up Chinese Debate Contest is more than just a competition; it’s an outstanding platform designed to ignite critical thinking, facilitate the exchange of ideas and foster connections among participants. Co-hosted by Beijing City International School and the Speak Up Chinese Debate Contest Organizing Committee, its primary goal is to inspire students from various schools to engage in deep reflection on social issues and to encourage intellectual dialogue across schools. We firmly believe that debate is not merely a clash of words but a rigorous exercise for the mind and a testament to personal growth.

This year, the Speak Up Chinese Debate Contest will focus on “Diverse Interpretations and Social Evolution of Gender Issues” as its core theme, aiming to guide the younger generation in addressing contemporary social realities through thoughtful and empathetic discussions.

Categories and Debate Topics

Group A (Senior | Under 19)

Preliminary Round: The popularity of “feminism” labels is more beneficial than detrimental/more detrimental than beneficial to promoting gender equality. （“女性主义”标签的流行，对推动性别平等利大于弊 / 弊大于利）

Semi-finals & Finals: To achieve gender equality, changing social perceptions is more important than improving institutional safeguards/improving institutional safeguards is more important than changing social perceptions. 实现性别平等，改变社会观念比完善制度保障更重要 / 完善制度保障比改变社会观念更重要）

Group B (Junior | Under 14)

Preliminary Round: Do short videos “princess filters” empower female images or represent a new aesthetic discipline?​（短视频“公主特效”（皇冠/柔光）是对女性形象的赋能，还是新的审美规训）

Semi-finals & Finals: Is contemporary women’s pursuit of “external beauty” an assertion of self-will or an internalization of social pressure?（当代女性追求“外表美”，是自我意志的彰显，还是社会压力的内化）

Event Schedule and Location
Date: Apr 25-26, 2026
Location: Beijing City International School Main Campus (北京市朝阳区百子湾南二路 77 号)

Eligibility
Group A: Participants must be under 19 years old by May 9, 2026.
Group B: Participants must be under 14 years old by May 9, 2026.
Team Composition: Each team should consist of four to ten debaters and be accompanied by one to two adult guardians.
School Participation: Multiple teams from the same school are welcome to register. Spaces are limited, so early registration is encouraged!

Registration Fees

Early Bird: RMB 150 per person for registrations before Mar 1, 2026.
Standard: RMB 210 per person for registrations after Mar 1, 2026.
Guardians: Guardians attend free of charge.

Awards

Team Awards
Champion: RMB 1,666 prize money + trophy + medals + certificates
Runner-up: RMB 888 prize money + trophy + medals + certificates
Third Place: Medals + certificates
Individual Awards: Awards for “Best Debater of the Tournament” and “Best Debater of Each Round.”
Participation Certificate: All participants will receive an electronic certificate of participation.

Why Participate in the Speak Up Debate Contest?

The Speak Up Chinese Debate Contest is not just a competition; it’s a unique platform for self-expression, active listening, and the development of critical thinking skills. Here, you will:

• Engage in intellectual sparring with talented debaters from various schools.
• Enhance your logical reasoning and expressive abilities through cross-examination, rebuttal and summation.
• Forge lasting friendships with like-minded individuals and create unforgettable debate experiences.

How to Register

Please scan the QR code below to fill out the registration form. The deadline for registration is Apr 10, 2026.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via email at debate@bcis.cn or reach out to Liu Fengru (Ella) at 2023133090@bcis.cn.

Think ceaselessly, speak articulately. The Speak Up Chinese Debate Contest 2026 looks forward to hearing your voice!

Images: Ella Liu

In this column, Bizkids, we will feature interviews with successful entrepreneurs and various professionals and share their advice to aspiring kids with entrepreneurial spirits. To send in your questions or advice, email cindy-jenkins@beijing-kids.com.

Schools are increasingly placing greater importance on improving the public speaking skills of their students, and parents are also taking note of just how critical of a skill it can be in developing the social and academic growth of their children. With that in mind, Bizkids interviewed three experts in the field of public speaking to share their ideas and opinions about the importance of public speaking for children, and what it takes to become a more effective public speaker.

This week, we have invited Tania Boicova to share her ideas. Tania Boicova is an educator focused on helping young learners (age 4-12) to develop leadership skills by using drama and public speaking. She’s been working with thousands of students across Beijing and has more than eight years of experience in teaching, facilitating, and consulting. Being a part of the largest European student union (AEGEE-Europe), she has worked with diverse youth groups back in Europe, and this led her to continue her work in China in 2012 when she joined a UNESCO World Heritage Volunteers project in Beijing, Shandong, and Jiangxi organized by the Chinese Society of Education (CSE). She has represented CSE at an international conference on volunteering & intercultural dialogue in Saudi Arabia in 2013.

Beijingkids (BJK): What would you say are the most critical elements that someone should learn to become more skilled in this area?
Tania Boicova (TB): I believe that’s regular practice speaking in front of an audience. In fact, especially at the beginning, it doesn’t really matter where and when, and how many people you are presenting to. I remember myself as a kid performing my favorite poem anywhere I went, even at bus stops, on the train, and while visiting my family or friends. I often took part in public speaking contests at school. Despite the fear (that was there every single time), my skills got better and better through time.

BJK: Do you believe that there is a growing tendency (among adults and kids) to communicate through social media or other digital platforms and that this has damaged our ability to communicate publicly?
TB: I believe social media has a huge impact on kids. There was no social media or even mobile phones when I was a child, so we had no choice but to communicate with each other face to face. Therefore, we grew up and developed our ability to communicate publicly quite naturally. Most kids now have their own mobile phone, and they often spend hours playing games or talking through social media. It definitely has an impact on their interpersonal communication skills since they can’t hide their true appearance and identity behind a “profile photo” and nickname.

BJK: What are some simple things parents can do to help their kids build foundational skills in public speaking outside of school?
TB: There are many things parents can actually do. They can help them practice public speaking at home or anywhere they go together. It can be done by way of a game or competition among family friends (just for fun). I remember that we used to act out different stories or just different characters during my mom’s or dad’s birthday parties. They actually asked me to do all the preparation, but we would act and do the drama part altogether. That was so much fun! When you’re a child and see adults performing “silly things” or making mistakes, you get so much more courage to do things better! What’s more important, you get more courage to be “yourself”, be silly, be crazy, be different, no matter what others think of you. I think this is one of the most important things parents can actually share and help their kids with.

BJK: Finally, what do you feel are the most essential elements towards crafting a good speech and communicating clearly to an audience?
TB: In my opinion, one of the most important elements is to have a clear idea. What do you want to share with the audience? What’s the core message? When it’s clear, it’s not difficult to write down a good speech. When you share an idea that people can relate themselves to (in a very meaningful aspect), you’ll be able to win their hearts. Another very important element is THE WAY you present your speech. How do you transfer that meaningful idea to your audience? Our voice can be very powerful, but so is silence: the pauses in the right places that let your audience think and connect with your words and FEELINGS (emotions). I believe that the most memorable speeches in history were all quite emotional: the ones that can touch people deeply and have an impact on their lives.

KEEP READING: BIBA Students Navigate Resilience and Independence Through Duke of Edinburgh Awards Program

Photo: courtesy of Tania Boicova, unsplash.com

In this column, Bizkids, we will feature interviews with successful entrepreneurs and various professionals and share their advice to aspiring kids with entrepreneurial spirits. To send in your questions or advice, email cindyjenkins@beijing-kids.com.

Public speaking is an invaluable skill that can be applied to a multitude of fields ranging from academia, business, and the arts, to everyday life. Therefore, improving one’s public speaking skills should not be put off until a later age, and should be emphasized as early as possible. With that in mind, beijingkids interviewed three experts in the field of public speaking to share their ideas and opinions about the importance of public speaking for children, and what it takes to become a more effective public speaker.

This week, we have asked Martin Barnes to share his ideas. Martin Barnes is a London-trained graphic designer with 18 years of creative experience in advertising, graphic design, branding, events, pitching, and presentations: four years in London and 14 years in Beijing. In 2010 he was invited to give a TEDx Beijing talk. He now runs a creative studio, Mountains of Imagination (MoI), which specializes in presentation consultancy.

beijingkids: What would you say are the most critical first steps that someone should take to become more skilled in this area?
Martin Barnes (MB):  Have fun. The results are so much better, as your audience will enjoy your performance, and you will make an excellent impression. Then, tell a story that relates to people, and let the people you are talking to see themselves in the solution so they can receive a really clear insight. Remember to prepare and warm-up. This is massively underrated; the best way to do this is with breathing and stretching.

Do you believe that there is a growing tendency (among adults and kids) to communicate through social media or other digital platforms, and that this has damaged our ability to communicate publicly?
MB: In some sense we communicate more now than ever — writing messages, sending photos like postcards, and it is emotional. The exciting thing with public speaking is it is an evergreen skill, it will always be essential to generate awareness. Social media is a channel of engagement and communication that we are using now; it will change, but our desire to communicate will keep as it is.

What are some simple things parents can be doing to help their kids build foundational skills in public speaking outside of school?
MB: Ask them fun, interesting questions and ask them to explain why they made their choice. Let them know it is not a right or wrong answer question, but about sharing ideas. It is not about facts but storytelling and connecting.

What do you feel are the most essential elements of crafting a good speech and communicating clearly to an audience?
MB: The best thing you can do to improve your presentation skills is to spend five minutes and really think about your audience and ask these six questions: What story do you want them to tell about you afterward? What key insight do you want them to connect with? How long are you presenting for? How will they describe you to other people? What insight will swim around their head for a week? How long is the presentation? Don’t over pitch. Moreover, pitch yourself to your phone, and listen back to your performance and think about one thing you want to improve.

Photos: courtesy of Martin Barnes

Becoming a confident and adept public speaker is something that many people strive for, but often do not know the first step towards reaching their goal. With that in mind, beijingkids interviewed experts in the field of public speaking, to explore their ideas and opinions about the importance of confident speaking for young people, and some practical steps to take towards acquiring these skills.

This week, we invited Mark Regan to share his ideas. Mark Regan is a dynamic and high-performing business leader with a unique background in advice, business development, sales consulting, training, and broadcasting. With a background in Linguistics and having worked in fields that extensively rely on the need for strong communication abilities, he has developed valuable experience in the skill sets needed for public speaking, negotiation, media presentation, and promotion. Less well known is that Mark is a prominent voice actor; having applied his skills over the last 10 years in a wide range of international commercials, television programs, cartoons, movies, documentaries, and video games.

Beijingkids: What would you say are the most critical elements (or first steps) that someone should learn to become more skilled in this area?

Mark Regan (MR): One critical element to public speaking is confidence. Take in a deep breath, relax, and be yourself when you’re presenting any type of material, in a calm and confident manner; this allows a person to stop focusing on the ‘fear’ of standing in front of an audience, but instead to focus on what they want to say, how they want to say it, and really start to engage an audience.

Confidence takes time to develop, especially when starting out. For people who feel they may lack the confidence to stand up on the stage and present, the advice I offer is simply “pretend you have confidence!”  It sounds a bit silly, but the idea is that you imagine what a confident person would look and sound like, and attempt to emulate that image. Surprisingly, it works very well – and over time, that person can develop their own speaking personality for their public speaking needs.

Many schools are beginning to shift their classroom learning environment from being teacher-led to more student-led, with teachers acting as facilitators. Is this shift helping students to become more confident speakers?

MR: From my perspective and understanding; absolutely!  A teacher-led classroom certainly does have its merits, but more often than not, it’s about following a curriculum designed to prepare students for test-taking.  Some students may engage with the material more than others, while others can simply ‘memorize’ what they need to know and leave it at that.

Transitioning into a more student-led classroom gives both students and the teachers room to expand beyond the curriculum, which in my opinion, is more of a guideline of what important aspects of the class the students should learn about. However, in the student-led model, my view is that the teachers are actively getting the students to engage, expand upon the material, bring new interesting perspectives to the table, and have the opportunity to spin off new classroom and life lessons that, while difficult to strictly measure, build an environment that cultivates personal growth on top of the learning material.

To answer the question: if students are in an environment where they are expected to engage, lead, and perform critical thinking tasks – they naturally will need to speak up more! This helps build confidence in speakers, which is a life skill necessary to tackle most aspects of our daily life and builds a solid foundation for a strong future.  We remember confident speakers, and we tend to forget those who say nothing…

What are some simple things parents can be doing to help their kids build foundational skills in public speaking outside of school?

MR: Encouragement is the single most important thing a parent can do to help their kids build their foundational skills. When we encourage our children, we are telling them it’s OK to explore, it’s OK to try new things, it’s OK to speak up, and it’s OK to be yourself!

The environment we put ourselves within also tends to dictate our responses to the situations we come across. If someone’s daughter has an amazing talent for singing, it’s likely best that we’ll want to put her in an environment that allows that talent to thrive.  If someone’s son is interested in drawing, we should encourage that behavior, because it’s a talent that has drawn (no pun intended) their interest.

Obviously, school and study are important – however, there is much more that makes up a person beyond their technical knowledge and talents. One overlooked aspect is the importance of “soft skills” which are about applying knowledge of various kinds into situations that are more open-ended, such as confidence, inspiration, trustworthiness, effective body language, persuasion, and more. These are character-driven building blocks; which all start with encouragement.

Listen to your kids – they have ideas, thoughts, dreams, and aspirations; and find ways to encourage them to pursue them! Challenge them to think critically about the thoughts they share and above all, help them to believe in themselves – that level of support is of the utmost importance as they are growing up, and will carry them further in school, skill, and life than any amount of homework ever could.

Finally, what do you feel are the most essential elements towards crafting a good speech and communicating clearly to an audience?

MR: Great speeches actively engage their audience; which can be accomplished through a couple of ways and does depend on the ‘mode’ or context of the speech that is being presented. Having a couple of witty jokes or interesting ‘attention-grabbers’ is one way to start off strongly in any presentation, as it will captivate your audience to ‘zero-in’ on what you are saying. Rhetorical questions are another tool often used to put the audience in a position of reflection – to consider what you are saying and why it is important.

When we are communicating to any audience, the first questions we ask ourselves are “what do I want to say” and “why is this important”. Once we can break down those thoughts into answers, our job is to craft the delivery of the information in a manner that any audience would like to listen to. We can do this in several different ways – no single style of public speaking is “correct”, but rather it’s about the “HOW” we say something, and usually that’s what an audience will remember most.

A comedy show must have laughs; a diplomatic discussion needs to be civil; a debate between two opponents should have critical thinking, persuasion, and reflection; a leader should be inspirational…each format will be different, but the same foundational abilities apply throughout every type of speech.

Find your personality, your strength, your style, and character. Be confident, speak clearly, show some emotion, and engage the audience. Remember that what you want to say is important, should be shared, and can make a difference – and to not let all the fear, doubts, and worries hold you back.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

MR: Public speaking is easy to do, difficult to master. It’s one of those life skills that we’ll continually use and practice using throughout our entire lives, whether it’s on a big stage or just speaking up in an office meeting.

For those who are worried about what other people may think, my advice is simply “don’t”. Most people are so concerned with their own lives that they’ll seldom think about your actions. Once you realize this, it’s easier to just focus on being the best version of yourself you can be – and in the environment of public speaking, showcase that confidence and personality to your audience.

In fact, you may just end up inspiring others to follow in your footsteps!  When we share our ideas, thoughts, and self with an audience, remember they are all there to see and hear you speak… so give them something to remember!

KEEP READING: Managing the Stress of School WeChat Groups

Photo: courtesy of Mark Regan; Unsplash.com

Over the weekend I engaged in several mock interviews with students, and it reminded me of the power of talking and communication. This is the season where students of all types need to start, if they have not done so yet, thinking about interviews with schools or with 3rd Party companies like InitialView or Vericant. These are two very different styles of interviews and students need to be aware of the differences and prepare for them.

There are some important factors that transcend both styles of interviews. Eye contact, body language, and tone of voice are highly important. Remember that how you present your body language can give added influence to what you are talking about, e.g. leaning forward emphasizes enthusiasm about what you are talking about. Eye contact is also vitally important. It does not mean that you need to stare at the interviewer the whole time, but making eye contact also adds important context to your comments. Staring too much can be unsettling for the interview just as rolling your eyes, constantly looking at the ceiling while talking all leave a different impression than you may be intending. Smile! Smiling adds the sense that you actually like talking about your self and that the content is important. But it is not a plastered on smile that is effective, but one that is genuine.

My point is this – communication is not just what you say but how you tell your story. Yes, you students have a lot to consider. It is important to remember that the interview is really a conversation, one that is about you! Kids get so worried about what they need to say rather than being comfortable being themselves. Here’s another point – remember you know you better than anyone else. I found when I first started to speak publicly, if I didn’t believe what I was saying, I had a hard time remembering what I had to say. Since you know yourself, it is just about organizing your important qualities, interests, and ideas.

It is important to note that a school interview is very different from a IntialView or Vericant interview. In a school interview, aside from talking about yourself, it is important to speak about why the school interests you. This is one reason why a school tour usually precedes the interview. From the tour, a student can get first-hand knowledge of the school, the setting, maybe some classroom experience, etc… Being able to draw from your research and the tour or something the tour guide may have said brings a personal perspective to your conversation with the admission officer.

Third-party interviews are much shorter in time and very focused. A student really needs to have a good sense of self and self-awareness. But again, memorizing answers to possible questions may create confusion during the interview when you are asked a completely different question or not answer the question completely. It is wise to listen to the question, quickly organize one’s thoughts and dive in. More to the point, because the interview is shorter, a student must be able to condense their personal information into good example filled sound bites. Finally, there is the personal/impersonal aspect of speaking to a person while being videotaped. This can completely throw off a student and their composure. So practice in front of a mirror (pretending it is the camera) and make sure you are talking to the camera.

Throughout all of these interviews, as mentioned, it is important to highlight key facts and experiences about yourself. Be able to speak about that one or more hook (super key fact – talents in music, sports, computers, et…) that will help the interviewer key into.

Hopefully, this article will provide some things to remember or focus on when being interviewed. Just smile and be yourself. The more you practice, the less nervous you will be when the time comes to sit across from admission representatives or the camera. Good luck and enjoy – it should be fun talking about yourself!

Photo: huffpost.com