Youngsters have put their skills to the test at the launch of the annual Minister’s Debate Challenge.

Organised by the Dynamic Debaters with the Mirrors Programme, it brought more than 50 attendees to the Whitney Institute to learn more.

The 2026 programme posed the question: “Was the Government justified in removing land from the residents of St David’s in the 1940s?”

A ministry spokeswoman said the topic allowed children to learn Bermuda history, examine different perspectives, develop critical thinking skills and learn how to build and defend an argument through informed dialogue.

Gladstone Thompson, the director of Dynamic Debaters, told attendees about the importance of debating and the lifelong skills one could glean.

He explained the dialectic art taught research, critical thinking and how to communicate ideas effectively and with confidence — useful not just in debate, but all aspects of life.

Debate tutorials will culminate in the Minister’s Debate Challenge Finals on March 28.