10 April 2024
In December 2023, Ben Anderson and Jacob Fried entered a global public speaking and debate competition known as “Re:Solved” which is run annually by a high school in Canada named Branksome Hall, and sponsored by a prominent Canadian free speech and debate foundation, Munk Debates. The initial stage of the competition involved submitting a recorded speech based on research and analysis of the UN Human Rights Declaration and its modern-day relevance. The top 32 speakers were selected and split into teams of two for the debate stage of the competition. Ben and Jacob then progressed through a series of online knockout debates all based on the central theme of “The UN”. After both progressing through their respective rounds of 16 and quarterfinals, they were paired up together for the semifinal last month and, after a tight debate against two opponents from an international school in India, they have both progressed to the final.
Finalists are given fully-funded trips to Canada from the 23rd of April to the 29th of April in order to compete in the finals to be held at the University of Toronto in the historic Hart House. It is a great achievement that at this prestigious global competition, two out of four finalists are Bishops boys.