The Core Values of Debate Mate USA

Empowerment

Above all else, debate is an activity that can and should be used to empower. We provide students with an opportunity to express themselves and give them a means have their voices heard. Our goal is that this will turn our students into advocates for themselves and their communities and that they will use the skills learned in their Debate Mate clubs to do so.  

Community

We strive to create a constructive environment with our students, partner schools, and beyond in order to aid students’ academic and personal development. We are proud and honored to be a part of the incredibly diverse and vibrant communities that are our partner schools. We are dedicated towards not only making that community stronger, but also, giving students the skills needed to be advocates to shape their communities.

Improvement

We believe that all individuals can improve at any activity with hard work, dedication, and perseverance. Our teaching method executes strategies which aid student growth in areas such as confidence building, public speaking skills, teamwork, and critical thinking skills with a focus on improvement and continuous learning. We as practitioners constantly are adapting our strategies and methods so that we too can improve as an organization.

Respect and Humility

We value the strengths, perspectives, and viewpoints of others and recognize our limitations. Therefore, we are constantly reaching out for different perspectives, viewpoints, and feedback from partners, community members, and students in order to better our program.

Fun

We believe that the best way to learn something is to be having fun while doing it. Thus, we focus on making debate and Debate Mate an activity that is enjoyable for students regardless of their academic needs, interests, or backgrounds. The topics we discuss encompass all areas of life from topical political issues to pop culture. Our aim is to make the act of debating and of being discursive fun and inviting for all.