Our Founding Story: Outreach Debate
Two debaters from opposite sides of the world
seeking to bridge the gap.
Outreach Debate started when two debaters met at a summer camp in Philadelphia. Realizing the beauty of international debate connections and wanting to spread their love for debate, both of them sought to internationalize the world of debate and make public speaking opportunities more accessible... and from there Outreach Debate was born.
A journey to make public speaking communities and learning resources globally accessible.
Sam and Justine noticed that debate was often isolated into small communities. Debaters in the United States only view debate from a western and US-centric lens despite a world of different perspectives and debaters waiting to be discovered. After winning nationals in Vietnam, Justine wanted to explore how she could challenge herself and her debate community. Both of these concerns led to the creation of Outreach Debate, an organization that strengthens, educates, and connects debaters globally.
From there, our global mission expanded.
From September 2021 onwards, we worked hard to reach as many debate communities as we could around the world. After establishing a team of 5-7 initial members in Vietnam and the USA, we contacted as many debaters as we could from around the world, from Thailand and Beijing to South Africa and Paris. We were overjoyed to be met with high enthusiasm from so many communities!
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As we began to host global debate camps, clinics, resource sharing, and mentorship programs, our mission to create a global community quickly became a reality. Our team of 7 grew into over 20+ country branches of leaders from all over the world, each working to expand our mission within their countries.