OPENING DOORS, CHANGING LIVES
From the founding fathers to the current explosion of online and social media technologies, the principles of open debate have been the life blood of our democracy, making society stronger by transforming policies, guiding public opinion, and casting light on injustice.
Today, it's more crucial than ever that our youth develop the skills to speak powerfully and persuasively in front of an audience as well as learn to think critically, explore all sides of an issue, and formulate evidence-based points of view.
Beyond academic improvements that prepare students to excel in college, speech & debate students change in ways that influence every aspect of their lives. It gives them the social and academic confidence they need to grow as individuals, pursue meaningful work, and improve the lives of others -- and our world.
SPEECH & DEBATE GIVES STUDENTS AN EDGE
Significant edge in college admissions
Improved reading, listening, speaking, & writing skills
Improved critical thinking skills
Increased intellectual curiosity
Increased motivation
Increased academic and civic engagement
Speech & Debate creates enduring transformation, setting competitors on a path that can lead them in amazing new directions. Consider the people who got their start as student members of the National Speech & Debate Association: Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Stephen Brayer, and Samuel Alito; media visionaries Oprah Winfrey and Ted Turner; actors Brad Pitt, Josh Gad, James Earl Jones, Renee Zellweger, and Stephen Colbert; and Senators Ted Cruz, Richard Lugar, Russ Feingold, and William Frist.