Your support makes a real difference. Individual financial contributions are the backbone of the Bay Area Urban Debate League, the central support that fuels our programming from tournaments and workshops for our young advocates to professional development for our teacher-coaches. Contributions of any size can make a real difference for the young people we serve:
- A gift of only $50 can cover the cost of one of the twelve Saturday workshops we hold each year to sharpen the minds of our young debaters, helping them immerse themselves in new evidence, strategies and skills.
- A gift of $100 can pay for 30 deserving students to travel to one of our seven annual tournaments and test their debate prowess against some of the brightest minds in the Bay Area.
- A gift of $200 can equip 20 young people with legal pads, pens, highlighters, file organizers, and all the gear they need to begin their lives as debaters at our annual Summer Institute.
- A gift of $500 can cover the cost of awards at a tournament, guaranteeing that students who have spent hours preparing their arguments, research, and speeches will be rewarded with shining trophies to cement their commitment to the activity.
- A gift of $1500 can send one of our most promising debaters to a prestigious summer institute on a college campus, substantially increasing their chances to earn college scholarships by competing at the national level.
To lend your support with a donation online, please click the button below:
If you prefer to donate by mail, please make a check payable to BAUDL and send to the following address:
Bay Area Urban Debate League
110 Pacific Ave #144
San Francisco, CA 94111
The Bay Area Urban Debate League is a nonprofit organization, and all financial contributions are tax deductible. Following your generous donation, you will promptly be provided with appropriate documentation.
Volunteer with the BAUDL
Opportunities to support the Bay Area Urban Debate League go far beyond the financial. Whether or not you have debate experience, there are dozens of ways for you to be involved. Our volunteers perform crucial roles in our program: they act as mentors guiding our debate teams; they judge at weekend tournaments; they assist with the daily work of the league. The following are three of the most common roles in which volunteers support our work:
- Debate judges attend weekend tournaments, listen to the arguments of our debaters, and give them feedback to help them grow as researchers and advocates. No prior experience in debate is necessary - if you think you might enjoy listening to young people speak their mind on politics, you are likely qualified to serve as a judge.
- Team mentors work with an individual school, collaborating with teachers on a near-weekly basis to run engaging debate practices for Bay Area youth. Some experience in competitive debate is helpful here, though we provide training and support to make sure that all can succeed.
- Administrative interns push forward the crucial work of development, data analysis, and advocacy that makes the program work of the league possible. Where some nonprofits pass boring labor onto administrative interns, we work with our interns to create projects that are meaningful and fun.
These are only a few of the ways in which you can contribute to the work of the BAUDL. Tell us your preferences, and we will work with you to find a rewarding role for you that is sensitive to your schedule. Email our director to find out what you can do in your area today: 
