The GHS senior debating team has fought off tough competition to be named national winners of the European Youth Parliament. They will now represent the UK at the 63^rd International Session of the European Youth Parliament in Tromso, Norway, in April 2010.

Following on from their victory at the South East Forum at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in March, the ten-strong Guildford High School team was one of fourteen schools representing regions from across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and competing for two places at the forthcoming 62^nd and 63^rd International Sessions of the European Youth Parliament. The three-day UK National Session of the (25^th to 27^th September) was hosted by Hatfield College, Durham University and the General Assembly was held in the historic Durham Debating Union.

Over the course of the competition the ten-strong team competed in fourteen debates on topics which included the expansion of the EU, pipeline politics, amending the Common Fisheries policy and deforestation. The girls also had to defend their own resolution on the two-state solution to the Middle-Eastern crisis and attack a debate about under-age sex which was discussed only in French.

In addition to the lively, passionate debates, the competitors participated in a day of team-building activities with the other delegates and worked in committees on an unseen resolution about EU healthcare provision. While the team had undertaken extensive preparation in the run up to the event, many of the topics were only released the night before the General Assembly began which called for quick thinking and hard work during the competition. The preparation, commitment and impressive teamwork paid off and the persuasive, well informed arguments of the GHS team secured one of the two winning places.