The members of the identification committee have indicated to support the mission of the Nederlandse Debatbond.
NB: Their statements as found below have been translated from Dutch by the board of the Debatbond and the tone may have been lost in translation.
Alexander Pechtold
Former party chairman for D66 in the Tweede Kamer
“I enthusiastically support the Nederlandse Debatbond. Debating entices you to actively think about societal causes. Young people who debate today about social issues, justice in society, and international politics; they are the leaders of tomorrow. And we cannot have enough of those.”
Jeannette Baljeu
Member of Province-Executive of Zuid-Holland
“As an experienced director, I know how important it is to be able to quickly and adequately analyse a situation. As a politician, I know how important it is to explain difficult decisions in an understandable way to civilians. I learned these skills in competitive debating. The Nederlandse Debatbond does amazing work by making sure more youths will do debating!”
Willem Witteveen (1952-2014)
Full professor at Tilburg University and former member of the Eerste Kamer
“The last few years, the interest in debating keeps rising. As dean of a liberal arts programme where we practice rhetoric, I can only love this. So, it is time for a good organisation of societies and activities!”
The Nederlandse Debatbond thanks Willem Witteveen for his support for debating in the Netherlands.