The Fifth Annual Windward Islands Debating Competition (WIDC), hosted by the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, took place from Thursday April 28th to Friday April 29th, 2022.
Participating colleges included The Dominica State College, TA Marryshaw of Grenada, and The St. Vincent and The Grenadines Community College. The regional debating competition among community colleges in the Windward Islands takes place virtually after a one-year hiatus due to the global pandemic.
Key topics of discussion for the competition included mandatory vaccination and the benefits of online learning.
Four students presented on behalf of The Sir Arthur Lewis Community College — Ashlee Barnett and Jaiden Lebrun (enrolled in the AD Biology and Chemistry respectively), Jean-Luc Constantine (CAPE) and Ryn-Kyj King (Sustainable Business and Innovation).
The WIDC seeks to develop the research skills of students, refine their public speaking skills, and promote deeper engagement of tertiary level students. Further, the competition aims to inspire other college students and adults viewing and or interested in debating.
Chair of The SALCC / WIDC Committee
The Sir Arthur Lewis Community College hosted the inaugural competition back in 2017. The College's teams have performed credibly in the last two competitions;
- 2018: Team SALCC placed second overall and captured the prestigious Best Overall Speaker Award and the Best Speaker Award for Semi-Final 2 and the Finals debates, respectively.
- 2019: Placed second overall and captured the Best Overall Speaker Award and the Best Speaker Award for the Finals Debate.
The College is grateful to the sponsors who had come forth to support the 2022 WIDC Competition, particularly, The National Lotteries Authority, Massy Stores SLU Ltd, St Lucia Hospitality Credit Union, The St Lucia Teachers Credit Union, Invest St. Lucia, Flow St Lucia, All Biz Ltd, the Trophy Centre, Excel Signs, and all others who have pledged their support to us.