The Case for World Schools Debate & The WoW Institute
Bright lights. Large stage. Big audience. I remember squinting at the light that hit me on the final stage of the 2014 Ljutomer Invitational wondering, ‘how on earth did I get here?’
As a kid who grew up in the inner city schools of Newark, NJ, I never imagined I’d be thousands of miles away in a tiny Eastern European country. I never thought people would care what I had to say, let alone pay attention as I attempted to prove my teammates and I were stronger than our opponents in front of strangers I’d likely never see again. For some, this might sound like the setting for their personal public speaking nightmare. For me, however, it was the first time I experienced the importance of commanding a room and expressing my opinion to any and everyone.
World Schools as a format is incredibly interesting. Unlike other formats in the United States that rely on carded evidence, speaking at 400 words per minute, and pristine note taking, it prides itself on being the event for the average global citizen. Whether someone is walking in off the street or has coached debate for 25 years or has spent their entire high school career debating, your arguments are supposed to make enough sense for anyone to want to be on your side.
World of Words Institute founder SunHee Simon speaking at the 2014 Ljutomer Invitational Finals (USA v USA). Photo courtesy of SunHee Simon
For those unfamiliar, the National Speech and Debate Association describes World Schools Debate as the following:
“World Schools Debate is a unique and dynamic form of debate, unlike any other practiced in the United States. World Schools Debate is a dynamic format combining “prepared” topics with “impromptu” topics, encouraging debaters to focus on specific issues rather than debate theory or procedural arguments. This highly interactive style of debate allows debaters to engage each other, even during speeches. This challenging format requires good teamwork and in-depth quality argumentation.”
WSD is one of the most accessible forms of debate in the speech and debate community. It is the perfect format for students to learn about the world and impress themselves as they put themselves out there. It is the perfect format for coaches looking to prove to parents and administration that debate does matter. It is the perfect format for an activity that forgets that if we do not promote accessibility in our community, none of the great values of debate matter.
For years, various organizations have attempted to bring public speaking and debate to underprivileged schools. While these efforts cannot be left unacknowledged, teaching students with little to no resources Policy and Lincoln-Douglas debate exclusively does a disservice to truly recruiting the masses into the Speech & Debate Community. For every kid who is fascinated by a speaker reading 20 cards extremely quickly, there are 10 or more who are left confused and unsure of what debate actually is. We can use Worlds Schools as an activity to recruit silenced yet valuable generations of children to this activity in a way that is fun and educational for everyone involved.
While my successes in LD and CX in high school helped me see different parts of the United States, World Schools showed me the world—both inside and outside of my rounds. It’s the reason I am still a coach in this activity despite feeling imposter syndrome when around other coaches. It’s why I care about things outside of my immediate community. It’s why I want to stay in education for the rest of my life. When exposed to the world, the possibilities you see in yourself become infinite and exciting. Students deserve the opportunity to be tapped into the global network. Even more importantly, however, they deserve our efforts to make this process as equitable as possible. If World Schools is truly about the global citizen, why do we have so many financial and social barriers when it comes to achieving success in it?
This is why the World of Words Institute was created. It’s so stories like mine are no longer anomalies but rather a common ending for any student who works hard, regardless of their background. While we aren’t perfect and it is a new idea, we hope that by making camps more affordable and local, we can enable new groups of students to give debate a genuine chance. We hope that by focusing on World Schools, we can use its ever-changing topics and extemporaneous styles to create more confident and enthusiastic pupils. As such, we hope that you’ll either give us a chance or push for community changes that can give others more chances in this activity than we do now.
Former Team USA members with their coach; the late Alfred “Tuna” Snider. Photo courtesy of SunHee Simon.
