Speech & Debate

Cornell Speech and Debate is asking for your help to continue our extensive service learning programs!! From Ithaca to Portugal to India to Uganda Cornell Speech and Debate sends teams to compete, hosts programs, workshops and camps; and evangelizes the useful tools of speech and debate to the world. BUT this year financially looks tough for us. To continue our amazing work and success we need some help from you!! Please give what you can!! Below you will find more details on the wonderful work we do and the people who make it happen; and just what exactly your  donations will go towards.

Unfortunately our budget this year is significantly less than last year, so we are relying on your donations to keep our service learning programs afloat! These wonderful programs include the following:

1) Worldwide programs which teach debate to students and adults in countries such as Uganda, South Africa, China, Kazakstan, and India.

Program Director Sam Nelson leading a class in South Africa!

2) International exchange and Competition including tournaments in Ecuador (for Spanish Debate world championships), Portugal (Portuguese World Championships), and Thailand (World Universities Debating Championships) 

Our Spanish Debate Team in Mexico City last year!

Kiki and Isaac! Our Friends from the Pearson institute of South Africa who came to the Bard IV debate tournament this year! 

3) Local outreach in Upstate NY to Highschools, Prisons, and Seniors. This includes High School programs in Ithaca High School, Dryden High School, Spencer Van Etten Highschool as well as Organizing debates with the Roads Scholar program (https://www.roadscholar.org/roadscholar-experience/) 

4) Public Speaking and Advocacy training here on campus for the Cornell community & beyond! We help clubs prepare for presentations and speeches, organize informative debates, and work to ensure that the skills of debate and advocacy are rich on our campus! 

Below you can see our 2019 class of summer debate campers!

All of these programs not only do extraordinary things for the communities they operate in; but they provide our speech and debate students and team-members with valuable learning experiences that they could get nowhere else! It allows us to engage with an incredibly variety of people, forming lasting bonds and relationships and better understanding the transformative power of debate beyond sheer competition. Please help us continue this great work with your donation!

Some of the Lovely People your donation will be helping!

If you want Cornell Speech and Debate to continue its progress and success worldwide; Please donate to ensure that we continue being leaders in service learning worldwide!!!