Union Second Chance debate gives back to community

THIS FRIDAY SAW the culmination of eight weeks’ hard work and training, resulting in a debate held in the Union Society chamber.

The Second Chance debate is a unique rehabilitation project run by the Union Society, Team Durham and the Tyneside Cyrenians, a Newcastle Charity which aims to empower those who have previously faced social marginalisation. Through a series of workshops the project offers them the chance to voice their own
opinions.

In Friday’s debate, individuals were given the opportunity to use their new skills in front of an audience of students, academics and community figures. A group of eight people, including two Durham students, debated the motion that alcohol is more dangerous than illegal drugs.

Those proposing the motion, Dawn Dakers, Mark Thompson, Sarah Campbell and Phil Alexander, argued that as the problems alcohol generates are masked. They criticised popular attitudes towards alcohol, encouraged by cheap deals on drinks, offers for women in bars and clubs and the lack of rehabilitation facilities.

The opposition, Tim Finlay, Lindsey Johnson, Thane McQueen and Nick Dennis, highlighted the effects of drugs, especially in countries such as Colombia and Afghanistan, where large numbers are
exploited in the production of illegal substances. After both sides battled it out, using the
skills they had recently developed, the opposition won the motion by a considerable
majority.

Peter Warburton, of Team Durham, praised the group for their progress and said that he would miss the project’s ‘banter’. He continued, “Durham is about exceptional people doing exceptional things and this project is just that.” At the end of the evening all those who participated were presented with a certificate
by the Mayor of Durham.