Listen to the voices of powerful young debaters

Overview
The Community Forum Debate (CFD) program creates opportunities for community based organizations to host debates on issues which are relevant to society. This program not only allows corporations and other organizations to get directly involved in their communities, but it creates a very direct link between academic debate and the real world issues, with immediate relevancy to everyone involved. This is a self-reinforcing relationship. Those who debate on issues with such immediate relevancy are going to see the benefits of approaching issues from a debate oriented perspective. Those who participate in academic debate will have the opportunity to see their skills applied to the community in which they live, this is profoudly different from debating issues far removed from everyday life, like U.S. foreign policy.

Participation
Unlike other forms of debate participation in CFD goes both ways. In traditional forms of debate a student argues a resolution with another student. At CFD tournaments students debate the resolution first and then members of the organization debate the same resolution. Thus, unlike traditional debates in which a student debates and a critic or judge evaluates the arguments, at a CFD tournament everyone is contributing and evaluating ideas. This is the spirt in which the complex issues facing today's communities should be approached. CFD provides a vehicle for such an approach.

(IN PHOTO) IMPACT DEBATERS PRESENTING AT DEMOCRACY PLAZA IN FRONT OF ROCKEFELLER CENTER SPONSORED BY BANK OF AMERICA

The Program in Action
IMPACT's most recent CFD tournaments have been held in partnership with the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute. In its first year, the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute will introduce young women in high school to opportunities to become leaders in their communities through a range of programming.

Henry Street Settlement School
High School of Art & Design
High School for Environment Studies
LaGuardia High School
Manhattan Center for Science & Math
Manhattan/Hunter Science High School
School for the Physical Studies
Science Skills Center High School
Young Women's Leadership Academy

PAST PARTNERS

The Children's Aid Society

These tournaments gave the students and mentors from the Project Live program the opportunity to debate issues like Teen Pregnancy and Peer Pressure. The project focused on 7th and 8th grade debaters and their mentors. Initially IMPACT made a presentation to the students and their mentors about CFD. After this presentation suggestions for topics are taken from both the students and mentors. A couple of weeks afte the initial presenation IMPACT held a training session to train the mentors as judges for the tournament. Approximately a month after the initial presentation the CFD tournament is held. Students debate the resolutions are awarded prizes. Then the students and others in attendance have the opportunity to listen to the mentor's views.

Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) Debates
In sessions that run concurrently with the IMPACT Coalition's, mini-institutes for NYUDL debaters, IMPACT contracts with SEO to provide the following services:

• Winter mini-institute for students and instructors for up to ninety students in the SEO Scholars program. The mini-institute includes sessions in effective listening and note-taking, basic debate videos, materials for follow-up and identification of electronic resources for professional development. IMPACT provides breakfast and lunch service for all participating students;
• Monthly site visit evaluating the progress of the debate component of the SEO Scholars program including a written report and ideas for improvement;
• Curricular resources for teaching debate and electronic resources for follow-up to SEO instructional leaders;
• Facilitation of the selection, identification and design of suitable debate topics for use including limited research packets if requested;
• Complete tournament management services including results tabulation, judge training, recruitment of judges and provision of award certificates
• Data tracking services