The sixth provincial preliminary round of The Voice of Young Netherlands will take place on Tuesday, February 3, in the province of Friesland. Schools from Leeuwarden, Drachten, Dokkum, and Oosterwolde are participating. Over two months, all provinces will be visited with a provincial preliminary day.
Deputy De Vries will open the preliminary round on behalf of the Province of Friesland. During the various rounds in the program, teams debate national and provincial statements, and students also record a personal speech on a self-chosen topic. The best participants will debate with Member of the Provincial Council Dieuwke Bakker of the province of Friesland during the final. The winning team of each preliminary round has a chance to participate in the national final.
It is expected that 200 secondary schools from all provinces will participate in the preliminary rounds taking place between January and March 2026. Approximately 2,000 students will have the opportunity to practice debating, express themselves on topics that matter to them, and get acquainted with our democracy. Students debate topics such as a ban on social media, the introduction of military conscription, and a stronger voice for young people in election results. For all statements, see the website and the program of the day.
The Voice of Young Netherlands originates from On the way to The House of Commons, which has been a well-known concept among students since 1998. Frits Bloemberg, director of The Debate Bureau and organizer since 2011: “Our project is an important experience for thousands of young people every year. With The Voice of Young Netherlands, we give young people an even more prominent place in societal debate and show that young people enrich our democracy.” Since its launch, former participants have taken action in various TV programs and during a national election debate in the run-up to the House of Representatives elections.
About the organization
The Voice of Young Netherlands is a project of The Debate Bureau and the Foundation Youth Debate and Society. All Dutch provinces are partners in the project: in each province, there is a preliminary round at the provincial house, with an extra day in the provinces of Gelderland, Noord-Holland, and Zuid-Holland. The project is co-financed by the European Union and Vfonds.