New Haven Urban Debate League (UDL)

NHUDL

Our Mission:

The New Haven Urban Debate League believes in the transformative qualities of public speaking and discussion that are inherent to debate, and is committed to nurturing these life skills in New Haven middle and high schools. Practicing consistent community outreach, UDL holds weekly after school coaching sessions at 14 New Haven schools, and hosts 3-4 tournaments per semester that allow these students the chance to practice and demonstrate what they’ve learned in the classroom. UDL also coordinates with other debate leagues to allow students to travel within Connecticut to attend tournaments outside of New Haven. Above all else, UDL is committed to giving students a stage on which to present their ideas and be heard, and we believe that aim is in line with the Dwight Hall value of commitment to the greater community.

Our Activities:

UDL Local Tournaments
We host tournaments for New Haven middle and high school students 3-4 times per semester. These tournaments allow students to practice their debating skills and meet students from other schools. Debate rounds are judged by trained Yale coaches.

Yale Summer Debate Program
Every year, we hold a debate program for students in middle and high school at Yale. Last year, this program had 100 students, and was led by a team of 13 coaches. Many of the students attending this program attend for a significantly reduced cost, or no cost at all.

Advanced Debate Institute
We coach experienced debate students from our programs via Zoom every Thursday.

Weekly Debate Coaching
UDL coaches at 14+ New Haven Public Schools every single week. These coaching practices teach students parliamentary debate and public speaking skills for 1-1.5 hours per week. Coaching is led by Yale students, but no prior debate is experience is required. We train on our coaches on everything they need.

Travel Tournaments
We bring low-income New Haven students to national circuit parliamentary tournaments across the country. Many students attend these tournaments for a reduced cost or no cost at all. They are accompanied by trained Yale coaches who work with them during the school year.

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