Winners of the European Youth Debating Competition, Polish Finals – heading to European Finals in Berlin
The youth debate organised
at Warsaw University of Technology was the fourth of seven planned events of
the European Youth Debating Competition, organised by the European
Petrochemical Association (EPCA) and PlasticsEurope. Three winners of the debate: from Warsaw and
Lublin will represent Poland at the European Finals to be held in Berlin
at the beginning of October, during the 51st EPCA Annual Meeting.
The faculty of
Chemistry at Warsaw University of Technology hosted young people from 11
secondary schools from all over Poland who discussed the
crucial role that petrochemistry and plastics play in the digital age. The participants had the opportunity to
debate on issues that are of high importance for the young generation: why petrochemistry
is so important for today’s life and how plastics contribute to climate
protection and sustainability. Students pointed out how indispensable and
commonly used petrochemistry and plastic products are in areas such as transport,
medicine, construction and packaging. They also discussed the challenges
related to environmental issues, e.g. waste and littering habits with the
development of better individual accountability and waste management systems.
The three winners of the Polish debate are:
1. Wiktor Skowroński, Niepubliczne Liceum
Ogólnokształcące nr 40 w Warszawie
2. Kalina Spławska, XIV LO im. Stanisława Staszica (Warsaw)
3. Michalina Groszyk, Zespół Szkół Chemicznych i Przemysłu Chemicznego
(Lublin)
They all won a ticket to the European Finals in Berlin,
as part of the 51st EPCA Annual Meeting, where they will discuss and
debate with other young winners from Europe on the theme: "People Planet,
Profit in the Digital Age: With or without petrochemistry and plastics?”.
The main objective of the
European Youth Debating Competition – a joint project organised by EPCA
and PlasticsEurope – is to promote STEM
education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and the soft
skills among young people that will help them in their future careers. All the
debates organised in Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands,
Italy, Poland and the UK including the final debate in Berlin follow the same standardized
formula and all students will be assessed according to the same criteria.
Kazimierz Borkowski, Managing Director of
PlasticsEurope Polska underlined:
"In
this year’s edition of the EYDC we have participants from all over Poland –
some students decided to travel over 500km to Warsaw. It proves that this
project engages young people not only because of important issues it touches
upon but also because it gives students a unique opportunity to participate in
professional coaching on public speaking. All participants, not only the
winners, will benefit from this debating experience in their future.”
Stanisław Barański, Strategy and Project management
area of PKN Orlen, member of the Young EPCA Think Tank (YETT) and pro-speaker:
"It was surprisingly exciting to be a
juror of the Polish qualifications to the European EYDC Finals. Students were very
involved in the EYDC and the debate was full of the spirit of (fair)
competition. Despite the fact that participants were mostly excited by the
debate itself, my impression was they were really interested in the future of
petrochemistry and the environment.”
Nathalie Debuyst representing EPCA during the Polish
edition of the EYDC:
"I’m really glad
that young people can discuss this topic with such passion. It shows that they
are seriously thinking about their future. I hope that debating in Berlin with
young people from other European countries, as well as through their
interactions with representatives of our industry, will show them how much we
all have in common and how much can be achieved by working together.”
Editor’s
Note:
EPCA and PlasticsEurope have
launched a new series of the European Youth Debating Competition (www.eydc.eu)
targeting young students aged 16 to 19, throughout Europe. The main objectives
of the European Youth Debating Competition (EYDC) and its organisers from the
petrochemical and plastics industry are to promote STEM education (Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), to empower students with soft skills
and to encourage them to further discover and exchange on the contribution of
petrochemistry and plastics in the digital age. Whilst for industry, it is an
opportunity to listen to the views and expectations of the next generation of
leaders. Technological dimensions of this new era with sustainable mobility, energy
efficiency, smart living, societal wellbeing, are key ingredients for the
future of both industry sectors and the overall competitiveness of the EU.
The European Petrochemical
Association (EPCA)
Based in Brussels, EPCA is the
quality
network in Europe for the global chemical business community consisting
of chemical producers, their suppliers, customers and service providers.
It operates for and through more than 700 member companies from 54
different countries. EPCA provides a platform to meet, exchange
information and transfer learning, and serves as a think tank for its
members and stakeholders. EPCA promotes STEM education, with a clear
focus on gender and diversity inclusion. EPCA also highlight the
multidisciplinary approach and the variety of challenging career paths
that the chemical industry offers.
PlasticsEurope is one of the leading European
trade associations with centres in Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Madrid,
Milan and Paris. The association is networking with European and
national plastics associations and has more than 100 member companies,
producing over 90% of all polymers across the EU28 member states plus
Norway, Switzerland and Turkey.