Baltimore Urban Debate League
Baltimore Urban Debate League, Inc.

In the information age, what could be more powerful than teaching young people the art of communication and developing their critical thinking skills? For the staff, teachers, and partners of the Baltimore Urban Debate League (BUDL), public policy debate has been the key to reaching the city’s most disadvantaged students, in its most beleaguered schools.
Beginning in 1999 with 90 students from 8 schools, the League has evolved into a nationally recognized program that transforms the lives of 750 students from more than 45 schools throughout the city each year. The BUDL staff understands that participation in debate can improve academic performance and increase graduation rates. Through a partnership with the Baltimore City School System and neighboring colleges and universities, BUDL reaches struggling students, giving them a new set of tools to construct their futures.

The annual program begins with a four-week summer debate institute that includes the students, as well as two teachers from each participating school who are trained to be debate coaches. Next, the teachers create a debate room in their school. This room will become a second home to the student debaters and the center for an expansive learning process where the students take the lead.

During the school year, BUDL participants meet after school for 3-hour sessions, two to five days a week. Working in teams, they create specific solutions to a current policy problem of national importance. Students research evidence, practice debating, study the basics of rhetoric, build problem-solving skills, and learn how to work as a team. One Saturday a month, the students test their skills in a competitive environment, at a BUDL tournament. Students also participate in public debates in community settings and at tournaments hosted by both suburban and private schools in the region.

BUDL also offers a College Access Program that provides participants with tutors and assistance in building a college portfolio. Remarkably, 90 percent of BUDL graduates pursue a college education, drawing on the skills and confidence acquired through the program to prepare them for advanced learning.

The League effectively motivates underachieving students, creating engaged, self-directed learners who see themselves as capable of effecting positive change and exerting influence in their community.