The annual Festival of Debate has returned for the ninth time this week to bring discussions and lectures to venues in Sheffield.
The event is run by Opus Independence and hosts over 60 events with over 150 speakers making it the biggest political activist festival in the country.
Jonny Douglas, 42, a board member at Opus said: “Festival of Debate has a desire to provide a platform, give voices to people, raise awareness around different topics to encourage discussions”.
For the next 12 weeks, discussions ranging from climate change, queer issues and economics will continue across the city free of charge.
The open programme targets all members of the public in Sheffield and South Yorkshire and aims to include all people to get involved with political debate.
Asha Rai, 19, an attendee of the event said: “It’s so important, if your not in a career that talk about social and economic issues, it’s really interesting to still be able to get yourself involved in that side of things”
Mr Douglas added how important it is to have an event of this nature in Sheffield, to diversify and open up opportunities for everyone to have access to academics.
For more information about Festival of Debate and future events visit 2024 | Festival of Debate