I attended a Rhode
Island Urban Debate League (RIUDL) event at Brown University on 9-27-2014. Here
is a link the event http://www.riudl.org/?page_id=3145.
During the day, I saw a
novice and junior varsity debate. At the end of the day, I witnessed the finals
for the varsity team, which was a display of intelligence, skills, and talent on
behalf of the four youths who participated. The 1st place winners from
Classical High School, Sidi Wen and Harrison Snow, are strong contenders for
the Urban Debate League National Championship Tournament in LA http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Save-the-Date--The-2015-Urban-Debate-National-Championship-is-Moving-.html?soid=1108902086854&aid=HGi-83PP6n0.
I talked to a couple of judges, who they themselves were in debate teams in high
school, all spoke highly of Sidi Wen.
From
the conversation with the judges and the lead director/executive, it became
more than apparent the RIUDL is an excellent youth development program. This
link http://www.riudl.org/?page_id=505,
explains through facts and statistics the benefits for participating in debate
teams, benefits such as: high school graduation, college readiness, developing
leaders, closing the achievement gap. Not only is RIUDL valuable for youth’s
academic and social competencies, but also for achieving social justice. After
talking to the director, RIUDL is an outlet for youth to be able to express and
articulate their thoughts and feelings in subject areas such as racial
oppression, environmental issues, social stratification, etc. Social justice
is a huge component in RIUDL, which is a reflection for the youth in RIUDL
whose adversities are far greater when compared their white middle-class peers.
Simply put, RIUDL debate issues that directly affect the youth who debate these
issues. This followings the critical youth development model that was discussed
in our Youth Development class. RIUDL and YIA are key examples of the critical
youth development model.
Here is a couple of picture from the event
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