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Debate In Your Community

Help Bring Debate to Your Community

Atlanta Urban Debate League - http://www.emory.edu/BF/comm/com_udl.html--As part of the commitment, Emory University hosts an Urban Debate League tournament each year, sponsors teacher and student training, coordinates institutes and tournaments with Atlanta Public Schools and other schools in Georgia, provides academic interns and instructional materials, and provides assistance for the establishment of similar programs in cities across the nation.

Austin Urban Debate League - The Austin Urban Debate League aims to create a vibrant and competitive debate community open to all students in the Austin metropolitan area.

Boston Urban Debate League - http://www.bostondebate.org/ Boston's urban debate league is just underway: it was founded in October of 2004. In the 2004-2005 season, it hosted three tournaments with four participant schools. In the 2005-2006 season, it will host a total of six tournaments with seven member schools. The Boston urban debate league (BDL) will continue introducing debate to public schools in the boston area, contributing research and volunteer coaching, and constructing a structure for interschool competition.

BUDL - Baltimore Urban Debate League - http://www.budl.org/ - The Baltimore Urban Debate League's mission is to enrich the academic experience of students from Baltimore City's public high schools through participation in team policy debate.

Columbus Debate League, a new ALOUD partner, was founded as a Middle School league in Ohio in partnership with the local school district in 2006.

DEBATE-Kansas City - http://www.debatekansascity.org/ - Since 1998, DEBATE-Kansas City has engaged over 1,300 middle and high school students in cross examination debate competition. The program’s growth, popularity, and reputation are due to the dedication and commitment of its teachers, students, staff, volunteers, and community partners. DEBATE-Kansas City’s urban debate programs are successful. They improve students’ standardized test scores and GPA's. Develop higher self-esteem, reduce risky behaviors, and increase students’ desire to graduate and attend college. For the third year in a row, 100% of DKC’s debaters graduated on time.

DCUDL - District of Columbia Urban Debate League - http://dcdebate.org/ The District of Columbia Urban Debate League is part of a national movement that seeks to establish competitive public policy debate leagues in traditionally under-resourced public schools in America's inner cities. The league is dedicated to expanding opportunities for young people to learn research skills, participate in intellectual competition, and become confident, articulate citizens.

IMPACT COALITION - http://www.impactcoalition.org/ The IMPACT Coalition is a nonprofit, mentoring and educational development organization that expands opportunities for urban students, schools and organizational partners by providing debate training, debate curricula, and support services to develop informed, concerned citizens. IMPACT advocates debate as a key to success in building healthier communities and tomorrow’s leaders. In 1991, IMPACT began operations in two colleges. Since then, the Coalition has facilitated debate in over 100 public schools and urban colleges as well as prisons, religious venues and other non-traditional settings. IMPACT is an industry leader in providing debate-related mentoring services.

JUDL - Jersey Urban Debate League - http://www.judl.org/ - The Jersey Urban Debate League (JUDL) was established through a grant from George Soros' Open Society Institute and operates in a partnership with FOCUS, Inc. JUDL will cover an area with a radius of 10 miles with Newark at the center. The 9 cities involved in the league contain 26 schools serving predominately African-American and Latino students. The league will offer training for students and coaches, logistical and financial support for team operation and monthly local debate tournaments.
            The JUDL will begin its operation in Newark. Science High School in Newark began its debate program in 1978. During the ensuing 24 years, Science High has experienced strong competitive success on the state, regional and national debate circuits including 19 years qualifying for the national finals and 20 varsity state championships. The Newark Public School district's central administration stands ready to support the expansion of debate to all 13 of Newark's public schools.

Miami Dade Urban Debate League - http://com.miami.edu/events/udl.htm   --Miami Dade Urban Debate League --Miami Dade Urban Debate League is one of the fastest-growing UDLs in the nation with 18 high schools and 14 middle schools participating in the league this year and new schools and students being added at each tournament. Founded by the National Debate project, the program represents a partnership between the Miami-Dade school district, friends of Miami Urban Debate, and the University of Miami.

Milwaukee Debate League - A recent ALOUD partner, the Milwaukee Debate League fosters the use of debate and discussion as powerful educational tools to engage students and teachers in critical thinking and learning. Initiated by the National Debate Project, the program was founded through a partnership between the Marquette University, NDP and the Einhorn Family Charitable Trust.

National Debate Project
The National Debate Project consortium was founded by Emory and Georgia State Universities, and was later joined by Clark Atlanta University, New York University, and Tennessee State University. The NDP consults and advocates for other UDLs with Atlanta serving as, the primary target population for pilot programs and new initiatives. Over its history, NDP programs have grown to include the Atlanta Urban Debate League, Emory National Debate Institute, Georgia Middle School Debate League, The Debate Center, Computer Assisted Debate Project, College and High School Bridge Programs, and Debate Across the Curriculum. NDP institutionalizes a collaborative infrastructure to facilitate the nationwide use of debate and discussion as acatalyst for educational reform.

RIUDL -Rhode Island Urban Debate League http://www.ridebateleague.org/ The Rhode Island Debate League (RIDL) is a cooperative project of the Swearer Center for Public Service and the Institute for Elementary and Secondary Education (IESE) at Brown, the Providence Schools District, the Rhode Island Foundation, and the Open Society Institute in New York. Since the 2000-2001 pilot season, the RIDL has successfully engaged young people all of the Providence Public High Schools. The long-term goal of the RIDL is to enable member schools to institutionalize debate teams and foster growth in the local debate circuit so as to make debate accessible to all students.
            This program is modeled after urban debate leagues across the country which foster communication skills to empower individuals while working towards improving academic skills. There are currently urban debate league programs in Seattle, San Francisco, Southern California, Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Kansas City, Atlanta, Tuscaloosa, Newark, and New York City. The success of this innovative strategy to promote standards-based literacy increases debate's importance in an education system increasingly conscious of standards and literacy.

Seattle Debate Foundation - http://www.seattledebate.org/--The Seattle Debate Foundation (SDF) is a youth development foundation committed to introducing debate as a vehicle for academic achievement and student empowerment. Debate is a proven tool to teach critical thinking, communication, and research skills.

SCUDL -Southern California Urban Debate League http://communications.fullerton.edu/forensics/scudl.htm The goal of the Southern California Urban Debate League (SCUDL)  is to teach argument skills to students from underserved high schools.  Training in debate improves valuable analytical and speaking skills and it enables the discussion of scientific, historical and political issues.  Debate contributes to the intellectual and critical development of its participants by challenging them to make defensible judgments in which they must critically investigate complex issues, question assumptions, evaluate the reliability of evidence and consider alternative perspectives.  Debate teaches valuable research, public speaking and cross-examination skills.  In short, debate is one of the most rigorous academic pursuits a high school student can undertake and the SCUDL seeks to make that opportunity available to as many students as possible.

Tacoma Urban Debate League - http://www.seattledebate.org, is a new ALOUD partner. Founded by the Seattle Debate Foundation through partnerships with the Comcast Foundation, University of Puget Sound, the HERO Initiative at the College Success Foundation, Hip Hop Congress and Free Ya Mind Inc., the Tacoma Urban Debate League started with three new high school debate programs at Foss, Lincoln and Mt. Tahoma.

University of Louisville Debate Society - http://communication.louisville.edu/~debate/--The University of Louisville Debate team is back on the battle grounds for another year of war with the current structure of the debate community. The purpose has not changed as the University of Louisville gears up to fight to increase meaningful diversity in the intercollegiate debate community.

Univ. of West Virginia Debate - http://www.polsci.wvu.edu/polsci/debate/home.htm-- The West Virginia University Debate Team is one of the most accomplished organizations on campus. The goals of the team not only include learning the skills of intercollegiate debate, but taking those skills along with the knowledge gained from the activity and applying it to everyday life. sponsored by the WVU’s top-ranked Political Science department, but includes members from a wide variety of majors. The rapidly growing team travels to many different colleges and universities during its season competing against some of the most highly ranked debate teams in the nation.

The Urban Debate League of the Twin Cities- http://www.umpds.org/udl/ The Urban Debate League of the Twin Cities exists to improve urban public education by empowering students to become engaged learners, critical thinkers, and active citizens who are effective advocates for themselves and their communities.

In support of this mission we will:

• Increase public awareness of the organization’s goals and objectives
• Make decisions based on the best interests of the students and communities we serve
• Provide quality, challenging instruction and debate opportunities in safe, supportive environments
• Maintain relationships with officials from the government, the media, the advocacy community, business, foundations, and schools
• Partner with community leaders, teachers, and college coaches to provide instruction and mentoring opportunities for student participants

UVM - Debate Central - http://debate.uvm.edu/
DEBATE CENTRAL is a non-profit service of the Lawrence Debate Union and the University of Vermont, and is designed to promote debating at all levels, in all languages, and all around the world.