ABOUT ME
Who is Andye? What is Efrat Debate Workshops?
I love to argue. I love ideas, and the dizzying feeling you get when you think you’ve scored a knock-out punch, only to have an opponent force you to re-think your original argument. And I especially love the spark that lights up a teenager’s face when an idea “clicks” in his or her head.
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Trouble is, we live in a world in which yelling and screaming passes for discussion and debate. I’m out to change that, one teenager at a time.
Efrat Debate Workshops: The Back Story
Sometimes, the best things in life happen by accident.
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Efrat Debate Workshops was born in 2020, at the height of the corona pandemic. My then-seventh grade son was going crazy being stuck at home, so we pulled together a few friends and met in a local park to practice logic, organized thought and public speaking.
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I didn’t plan on continuing, but the day after our debate, the kids wrote to me asking what the next debate would be about. I accepted the challenge and never looked back.
What Motivates Me?
Respect
Young people who experience the respect of an adult learn the value of their opinions and have confidence in their ideas.
Engagement
Adolescents and teenagers know when the adults around really “see” them.
Laughter
Laughing reduces stress, increases the endorphins released by the brain and relieves stress and builds the ability to feel pride in one’s accomplishments.
Honesty
It isn’t the gold standard for human behavior. It’s the only standard.
TESTIMONIALS
I’m Andye; I’m glad you’re here!
Growing up in a world of social media and clickbait, a world where yelling and screaming passes for discussion and conversation, the young people of Generation Alpha have precious little exposure to many of the tools that ensure success in nearly every area of life: school and university, work, family life and more.
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Our debate stage is a supportive, enthusiastic, fun laboratory that encourages young people to express themselves, to try out new ideas and techniques, and to build the confidence to change their mind when an idea doesn’t pan out. In school, debate club or as a bar/bat mitzvah, students conquer stage fright, build self-confidence and self-esteem, and they learn to do it all in clear, polished English.
