A blast from the past today: famed BAUDL debater Rashid Campbell from Skyline holding forth on the importance of health care reform to marginalized communities.

Rashid has gone on from BAUDL to an immensely successful college circuit debater at the University of Oklahoma. Much respect to him, and to all the alumni who go on from our program to take on the world! Stay tuned for more highlights from this year’s public debates, and for more information about the magnificent end-of-year events coming up in the next month.

On April 12, the Bay Area Urban Debate League was invited to speak at the SFUSD Board of Education meeting, and coaches, parents, students, and staff gathered to tell the story of the impact of urban debate.  An incredibly diverse group of people came to speak, but for all their diversity the message was unified and clear: debate has made a significant impact on the confidence, eloquence, and academic achievement of hundreds of young people in the Bay Area.

Parent Jose Guardado speaks on the impact that debate has made on his son and his friends, both in terms of confidence and in terms of academic achievement:

BAUDL Alumna Robin Bonner speaks on the capacity of debate to change the lives of youth, and the importance of youth voice in solving the complex problems of the future:

SFUSD Board of Education Member Sandra Fewer speaks to the value of debate for San Francisco students and her own daughter:

For full video, click this link, and then navigate to agenda item M, “Discussion of Other Educational Issues”.

Four of the most accomplished debaters in BAUDL relax in the aftermath of intense competition.

Four BAUDL students and their coaches returned last night from an exciting weekend of competition in New York City.  The most competitive teams in the Urban Debate network joined together for a showdown of arguments and intellect, and our students represented the Bay Area with grace and style:

• Jazmin and Diego from Fremont High, putting on display their relentless dedication and strategic thinking,went 3-2 in prelims, beating several of the top teams in the nation to achieve the best win-loss record in the history of BAUDL.
• Greg and Zach from Skyline High, showing their razor-sharp wit and charisma, impressed the judges so much that both broke the top 12 in the individual speaker awards, giving them the 5th-best speaker point total in the tournament.

Both the highest speaker points and the best win record in BAUDL history; much to be excited about.  There were some incredible teams at this tournament, and they made these young people earn every win, every speaker point. Please join us in congratulating them and their magnificent coaches Chris Scheer, Laima Haider, and Catherine Kuhn!

Most importantly, these young people came back from this tournament peppering us with questions about how to improve their skills in debate. They are ready to do more research and to do the work they need to get ready for success on the national circuit, in college, and as leaders on their campuses.

As we approach the league championships – at Fremont High on May 14 and 15 – the energy is high!