Wednesday, October 8
Unlike other leagues, students will never be turned away.
The Speech & Debate community is notorious for gatekeeping, charging exorbitant fees to participate and leaving behind students who can’t afford the hefty tuitions. We provide affordable access to coaching and competitions for all students looking for quality Speech & Debate programming.
Our Mission
Brooklyn Debate League helps New York City public school students access the transformative power of Speech and Debate. Through a comprehensive program that includes school-based programming, online classes, competitive tournaments, and an intensive in-person summer camp, Brooklyn Debate League provides middle and high school students from marginalized communities the opportunity to train alongside students from specialized, parochial and independent schools, offering an all too rare opportunity to learn in environments that are integrated along lines of race and socioeconomic class. In doing so, students develop what former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan coined the "four Cs" emphasized in Speech and Debate —critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. Our efforts help equalize the educational playing field, helping public high school students achieve higher GPAs, better graduation rates, and the confidence that their voices matter.
In other words, we want to create more stories like our co-founder Jon’s. His story brought us together and connects with our students. His isn’t the only version of a successful Speech and Debate career, but it is our guiding light.
“I have worked at NYC nonprofits for 25+ years and both my parent and nonprofit selves appreciate BDL’s commitment to empowering all students, supporting them in finding and using their voices, providing top-notch coaching in the details of debate, and grounding it all in respect, listening, learning, and empowerment.”
“My school didn’t have a debate team before BDL helped to start one. By investing in BDL, you are investing in the future leaders of our society by ensuring that debate isn’t an exclusive activity for students at more privileged schools.”
“Through BDL, I got to compete at the Debate State Championship, something nobody in my school has ever done before in its history.”
WE DEPEND ON YOUR SUPPORT
Brooklyn Debate League is one of the only Speech and Debate communities in the country offering accessible coaching and competitions to all students.
Your donation helps keep us running.
Check out our co-founder Jon’s book!
I Wasn’t Supposed to be Here
In this deeply personal account, BDL co-founder Jonathan shares the full story of his incredible journey escaping the precarious circumstances he was born into, and the teachers, mentors, and guides who helped him along the way.
Born into a family crippled by addiction and homelessness, Jonathan "failed" kindergarten and was told he would never succeed academically. Instead, Jonathan found ways to defy the limited expectations placed upon him, eventually earning a full ride to Stonybrook University and pursuing a career as a neonatal respiratory therapist at NYU Langone.
Throughout this heartwarming memoir, Jonathan shares how his experience on his high school debate team and his friendship with his debate coach DiCo (with whom he co-founded BDL) changed his life.