New York City Urban Debate League

We are thrilled to welcome?Jesse Yeo?to our Board of Directors! Jesse is an accomplished legal executive with extensive experience in corporate law, M&A, governance, and strategic transactions. As the Executive Vice President and Senior Deputy General Counsel at?Advance, she leads the corporate legal department and oversees a wide range of critical matters, including mergers and acquisitions, compliance, and corporate governance. In 2023, she also served as a David Rockefeller Fellow.

The Open League season has officially begun! 549 debaters from 60 schools, our biggest OL tournament ever, met at Midwood High School to debate the cash bail system. We heard insightful arguments about systematic prejudices, pressure to take plea deals, and the ways cash bail criminalizes poverty. High school debaters also tackled US-China relationship, Taiwanese sovereignty, and trade agreements in a topic on arms sales to China.?Congratulations to everyone who participated, especially our first-time debaters. We are so proud of you!

We are sending?love and joy via this video to all who need it this week. Our world needs research,?critical thinking, and articulation skills, now more than ever. We are steadfast in our commitment?to foster these skills, especially for students who belong to?communities that are too often left out of important conversations.?NYCUDL debaters examine issues through a combination of evidence-based reasoning and lived experiences. They always argue?both sides of a resolution. Our favorite moments are when the students are completely convinced that there are no arguments on one side of a resolution. Then, after a month of research and debate, they conclude that?the other side was actually the right one. Imagine what our world would look like if we all engaged in this type of civil discourse, relied on facts, and had open minds and hearts like our debaters? Our students are the next generation of diverse, informed, and courageous leaders! We cannot wait to see them use their voices to get in some good trouble. debate.nyc/donate

The Resolution: November Edition is here. Read about our new initiatives and program launches, and find out how you can support our first month of tournaments. https://lnkd.in/eYJWqqnM

Tomorrow marks an important day for our democracy. As we consider the impact of leadership in our country and communities, we are reflecting on our mission to "empower the next generation of diverse, informed, and courageous leaders." We know that tomorrow may bring worry, but the enemy of change is helplessness. Our work has shown us that the future is incredibly bright, and together, we can keep moving forward with hope. Read more to find out how you can support the leaders of tomorrow. https://lnkd.in/decfC54b

This marks the third year of our autumnal Open League kick off event where we welcome our students back to the debate season in a community-oriented way to remove the intimidation of the first tournament. The 284 students in attendance used tabroom to find their workshop rooms where the met with staff members and debate alum who taught lessons on debate structure for beginners and advanced strategies for returners. The workshop was a great success! Debaters especially enjoyed the pumpkin exchange, cider chat, and making friends across schools.?

WilmerHale and the NYCUDL co-hosted a special conversation on the evolution of equity in education. The event was moderated by NYCUDL Executive Director Amisha Mody Mehta and featured a panel discussion with Debo Adegbile and Felicia Ellsworth, the attorneys who litigated on behalf of Harvard in the Supreme Court case Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. Panelists discussed the elimination of race-conscious admissions and its implications for equity in education. We are so grateful to everyone who shared in this unique opportunity for continued learning.

NYC Reads 2024-2025 Coach Kick Off! We are charging full speed ahead into the next year of our NYC Reads partnership—with a few exciting changes! NYC Reads topics will now match the Open League topics to give debaters the chance to compete at more tournaments. We are eliminating the use of electronic devices to emphasize preparation and to encourage unique arguments that inspire individualized critical thinking. We spent the kick off discussing these new goals with our awesome coaches and also introducing the cash bail topic.

We are hiring a Finance Manager to join our team! See Job listing for full details. https://lnkd.in/euQcFA4C

Please join us on October 17th as we review the evolution of the?landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, and its impact on educational equity. We are partnering with WilmerHale to offer this educational opportunity, featuring panelists Debo Adegbile and Felicia Ellsworth, moderated by Amisha Mody Mehta. Read more about the event and RSVP at the link below. https://lnkd.in/eDSDqDUA