ARDOR’s mission is to use academic debate as a non-formal educational tool that encourages argumentative dialogue and critical thinking. In Romania, there are approximately 50 debate clubs in high schools that function as extra-curricular activities, under the approval of the Ministry of Education, Research, Youth and Sports. Also, debate was recently recognized as an official elective for the high school curricula.
Our objectives are to engage the youth in educated, skillful argumentation and public speaking, to elevate their exigencies regarding the standards of public debates (political, in the media etc), to collaborate with the formal education system in order to maximize our impact, to collaborate with other associations whose causes could be supported through dialogue and quality debates.