On 20 February 2026, international student debates took place within the framework of the Hybrid Students’ ValEUs Debating Hub. The debates were organised by the Department of Political Sociology of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Sociology and Media Communications at V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. The event was chaired by Olena Muradyan (Director of the Institute of Sociology and Media Communications), and the Coordinator of the Hybrid Students’ Values Debating Hub, Ruslan Zaporozhchenko (Associate Professor at the Department of Political Sociology).
The event brought together more than 50 students from universities in Europe, Ukraine, North and Latin America, and Asia in a shared space of reasoned dialogue. The debates were held in a hybrid format, combining online participation via Zoom with offline locations, which made it possible to engage a wide international audience and create a truly transnational space for the exchange of ideas. The main goal of the event was to foster a culture of democratic discussion, develop critical thinking, and strengthen skills in reasoned defence of positions while respecting opponents.
Before the debates began, the Director of the Institute of Sociology and Media Communications, Olena Muradyan, addressed the participants with a welcoming speech. She emphasised the importance of academic debates as a tool for developing critical thinking, dialogue culture, and responsible attitudes toward democratic values, especially in the context of contemporary social and political challenges.
The debates followed the Karl Popper format, focusing not on competition but on rational analysis, argument evaluation, and value-based reflection — an approach aligned with the principles of an open society, pluralism, and freedom of thought.
Six parallel debate sessions addressed topics including:
Freedom vs. security — where are the limits of European values?
European identity: myth, project, or reality?
Algorithms and democracy: do technologies shape our choices?
Populism: threat or symptom of democracy?
Migration and tolerance: a test for Europe?
Cancel culture: freedom of speech or new censorship?
Students participated from universities in Ukraine, Turkey, Poland, Italy, the United States, Mexico, Colombia, and Kazakhstan, bringing diverse academic cultures and perspectives to the discussions.
Moderators and academic experts from partner institutions supported the debates by guiding discussions, evaluating arguments, and providing professional feedback.
The organisers emphasised that the Hybrid Students’ ValEUs Debating Hub is not a competition, but a collaborative space for exploring complex societal questions. The debates demonstrated a high level of preparation, strong argumentation skills, and participants’ willingness to engage respectfully with differing viewpoints.
All participants will receive certificates recognising their involvement in the international ValEUs initiative and their development of skills in critical thinking, argumentation, and intercultural communication.
We wish to express our gratitude to the entire team at the V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University for making this invaluable exchange between student debating teams from across the globe possible. We also extend our appreciation to the student teams from the V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University and the Kyiv School of Economics for their participation in the Debating Hub. It is a true privilege to work with our partner institutions in Ukraine, which so remarkably embody the extraordinary courage and resilience of Ukrainian academia.
