This House Would...

Since the 1850s, the Asian population began immigrating to North America in hopes of finding wealth in the Gold Rush. Although sizeable Asian communities developed in North America, the Asian population has faced - and still faces - many challenges. 

By drawing on Asian-American/Asian-Canadian cuisine and the 'model minority' stereotype, Reza and Nicole discuss the hardships of the early settlers, the in-between culture of the Asian diaspora, and the current-day systemic racism towards Asians with our guest speaker, Jeffrey Ma in today's episode of 'On That!'. 

About the series: On that! interviews one guest per episode, conducting a deep dive into their area of expertise while providing a clear breakdown of the triumphs, difficulties, and stories in the guest's personal journeys.

Credits:
Producer: Nicole Chiu
Host: Reza Qurban-Ali
Editor: Eric Jiang
Cover Art: @onlyooh_

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @thwdebatepodcast

Do you have a suggestion for a topic you would like to hear about? Would you like to be featured as a guest on this series? Any feedback for us? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected]

One of the most essential skills to win close debates is weighing - taking an argument from each side and comparing their value. Noah chats with long-time Hart House friend Chris Pang - a breaking Cape Town WUDC debater and finalist of countless IVs in north America - to unpack his techniques and strategies for weighing effectively.

About the series: Debate 101 dive into the basics of debate in short 15-20 minute episodes with co-hosts Noah and Nicole: featuring strategies, skills, and the occasional guest, this series is informational yet casual. 

Credits:
Producer: Nicole Chiu
Hosts: Nicole Chiu, Noah Pinno
Editor: Eric Jiang
Cover Art: @onlyooh_

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @thwdebatepodcast

Do you have a suggestion for a topic you would like to hear about? Feedback on how we can improve? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected]

Happy Holidays!

In today's special pro-am (read: a debate team featuring an experienced debater and a younger, sometimes less experienced debater) episode of 'This House Debates', Heather and Hannah sit down with Noah ( from Debate 101), Zuha- from the University of Toronto- and Alex, and Gaby- both high school debaters- to explore the topic 'This House Believes That Santa should give every child a present'. 

To better interpret and understand the motion, we have provided an information slide to our debaters and listeners: There exists a world where Santa is real, and he is an all-seeing, benevolent actor. Santa’s annual holiday gift-giving follows a rewards and punishment system, where children with better behaviour receive more extravagant presents, and those who demonstrate poor behaviour throughout the year receive no presents. Santa can alternatively give every child a present of similar value, regardless of their behaviour. 

This year, the holidays look different; while we can not see our friends and loved ones, gift-giving has not been lost. In particular, we wanted to challenge an idea of gift-giving revolving Christmas and Santa: how does Santa determine which children to give presents to? Do ‘naughty’ children deserve presents?

Enjoy the episode! Email us at [email protected] for feedback, topics you would like to see in future episodes, or any questions and comments.

Credits:

Producer: Heather Yuan, Hannah Zhao

Hosts: Heather Yuan

Editor: Eric Jiang

Cover Art: @onlyooh_

Follow us on instagram and Facebook @thwdebatepodcast

Less than approximately 2.8% of venture capital funding was being invested in female-run entrepreneurship last year. As a result, not only are women faced with immense difficulties in starting-up their businesses, but they are disincentivized to create their own businesses in the first place. 

By introducing FLIK (Female Laboratory of Innovative Knowledge Inc) and its apprenticeship program for female entrepreneurs, Reza and Nicole discuss the significance of role models and resources for business leaders; the positive impacts of investing in more female-run entrepreneurship; the challenges faced by these entrepreneurs during Covid-19 and the potential solutions to empower female leaders with our guest speaker, Michelle Kwok in today's episode of 'On That!'. 

Credits:

Producer: Nicole Chiu
Assistant producer: Hannah Zhao
Hosts: Reza Qurban-Ali, Nicole Chiu
Editor: Eric Jiang
Cover Art: @onlyooh_

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @thwdebatepodcast

Do you have a suggestion for a topic you would like to hear about? Feedback on how we can improve? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected]

One of the best opportunities to put your debate skills to the test and to meet like-minded debaters is to compete in a debate tournament. In today's episode, Noah and Nicole describe what to expect at a typical tournament, highlight the different competition circuits, and shares their own funny tournament experiences. 

Credits:
Producer: Nicole Chiu
Hosts: Nicole Chiu, Noah Pinno
Editor: Eric Jiang
Cover Art: @onlyooh_

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @thwdebatepodcast

Do you have a suggestion for a topic you would like to hear about? Feedback on how we can improve? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected]

A key way to challenge your opponents' speeches and to stay relevant in a debate round is to raise a 'point of information' (AKA 'POI), which is essentially a question or statement that briefly interjects your opponent's speech. 

In this episode, Noah and Nicole unpack the etiquette behind asking a POI and break down various strategies to help you challenge your opponents. 

About the series: Debate 101 dive into the basics of debate in short 15-20 minute episodes with co-hosts Noah and Nicole: featuring strategies, skills, and the occasional guest, this series is informational yet casual. 

Credits:
Producer: Nicole Chiu
Hosts: Nicole Chiu, Noah Pinno
Editor: Eric Jiang
Cover Art: @onlyooh_

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @thwdebatepodcast

Do you have a suggestion for a topic you would like to hear about? Feedback on how we can improve? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected]

The US Election has come to a close, with Biden and Harris taking the win and Trump throwing an adult-sized tantrum in a line of election lawsuits. Regardless of respective reactions, social media sites have played a large role in this election: from QAnon to Russian interference stirring up rallies, to scenes of protests by anti-maskers and the BLM movement, social media has simultaneously connected and segregated people. 

In today's episode of 'This House Debates', Heather sits down with Jeffrey (Side Proposition) and Maiya and Hannah (Side Opposition) to explore the topic: THBT social media platforms have done more harm than good in US elections. 

Please note: the debaters were assigned a side of the debate by the THW Debate Podcast Team. The views, ideas, and examples presented by the debaters do not represent nor reflect their own. 

This episode was recorded on November 7th, 2020.

We hope you enjoyed the episode. Email us at [email protected] for feedback, topics you would like to see in future episodes, or any questions and comments.

Credits:
Producer: Heather Yuan
Assistant Producer: Cristine Cai
Host: Heather Yuan
Editor: Eric Jiang
Cover Art: @onlyooh_

Follow us on instagram and Facebook @thwdebatepodcast

Although artificial intelligence and machine learning technology have arguably improved our lives, they have far-reaching implications on the future of work and the labour market. The nature of certain jobs are not only going to be drastically changed, but some jobs may even become redundant due to their automation. 

By illustrating the changes to the work of black cab drivers in London and medical professionals due to technology, Reza and Nicole discuss the connections between data and the future of work, the impacts of automation, and potential solutions to minimize the harms to the labour market with our guest speaker, Ezra Cohen in today's episode of 'On That!'

About the series: On that! is hosted by Reza, alongside producer Nicole. The series aims to demystify and explain the situation surrounding big problems- systems, structures, innovations, and more.

Credits: 
Producer - Nicole Chiu
Host - Reza Qurban-Ali
Editor - Eric Jiang
Cover Art - @onlyooh_

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @thwdebatepodcast

Do you have a suggestion for a topic you would like to hear about? Feedback on how we can improve? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected]

One of the primary responsibilities of the first speaker on side government is to set the stage for the debate - or, in debate lingo, to model the debate. 

In this episode, Noah and I break down the different forms of motions (such as 'This House Would...' and 'This House Believes That...'), explain the importance of info slides, and illustrate how to come up with appropriate implementing policies. 

About the series: Debate 101 dive into the basics of debate in short 15-20 minute episodes with co-hosts Noah and Nicole: featuring strategies, skills, and the occasional guest, this series is informational yet casual. 

Credits:
Producer: Nicole Chiu
Hosts: Nicole Chiu, Noah Pinno
Editor: Eric Jiang
Cover Art: @onlyooh_

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @thwdebatepodcast

Do you have a suggestion for a topic you would like to hear about? Feedback on how we can improve? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected]

Learning debate may seem pretty daunting at first- especially if you are not a part of an established debate program. 

In order to guide you on the right path, Noah has invited a special guest in today's episode, Hannah- a first-year student at McGill University and an accomplished debate who has made it to out-rounds and finals at tournaments in high school and university- to share her experience of self-learning debate and some resources that she found useful. 

About the series: Debate 101 dive into the basics of debate in short 15-20 minute episodes with co-hosts Noah and Nicole: featuring strategies, skills, and the occasional guest, this series is informational yet casual. 

Credits:
Producer: Nicole Chiu
Hosts: Nicole Chiu, Noah Pinno
Editor: Eric Jiang
Cover Art: @onlyooh_

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @thwdebatepodcast

Do you have a suggestion for a topic you would like to hear about? Feedback on how we can improve? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected]