Cambridge Union Society Partners with LearningLeaders!

The Cambridge Union Society is one of the oldest and best-known university debating societies in the world. But how old is it, when does it meet and what does it do? Read on to learn a bit more about the world famous Cambridge Union Society.

What is the Cambridge Union Society?

The Cambridge Union Society is a debating and free speech society based in Cambridge, UK. It is over two hundred years old, making it one of the oldest (if not the oldest) continuously operating university debating societies in the world. The Cambridge Union Society has a beautiful building in the heart of Cambridge University, and membership is open to any member of the university. As well as the world famous debating chamber, the Cambridge Union Society also has a snooker room, dining room, library and bar for the use of its members.

The main activities of the Cambridge Union Society are its internal debates, which are held several times every year and often feature famous figures such as prime ministers, presidents and celebrities. Debating in the Cambridge Union Society debating chamber is both an honour and, sometimes, a challenge, but it’s one that almost every major political figure has done at one time or another.

Aside from internal debates, the Cambridge Union Society also selects and trains debaters to represent it at competitions around the world. Cambridge Union Society debaters have won multiple national championships as well as dominating tournaments like the European and World Universities Debating Championships. Cambridge Union Society debaters are known the world over for their skill and prowess.

Thirdly, and equally important for our purposes, the Cambridge Union Society organises a number of competitions of its own, including the Cambridge Schools competition every spring, and the International Competition for Young Debaters every two years, in rotation with the Oxford Union Society. This is the main way in which the Cambridge Union Society works with LearningLeaders

How does LearningLeaders work with the Cambridge Union Society?

As the exclusive long term partner of the Cambridge Union Society in East and Southeast Asia, LearningLeaders collaborates closely with the Cambridge Union Society on its annual Cambridge Asia British Parliamentary (CABP) series. The top teams at CABP every year can qualify to travel to and compete in the Cambridge Schools competition, which is held in the Cambridge Union Society every spring. In addition, every other year, the Cambridge Union Society plays host to the International Competition for Young Debaters (ICYD), which is aimed at student debaters aged 15 or under. The only way to qualify for these competitions from a school in Asia is to compete in, and win or place highly at, the CABP championship.

Conclusion

So there we have it, a short history of the Cambridge Union Society and a guide to what it does. If you want to learn more, or even debate in the Cambridge Union Society debating chamber, then sign up to debate at CABP and you too can walk through those ancient doors!