Citizenship “With expanded horizons, and by learning to lead and
compete, urban debaters are equipped to improve their schools, strengthen their
communities, and ultimately broaden the local and national leadership base.”(http://www.urbandebate.org/value.shtml). “The community-at-large benefits from Urban Debate Leagues
through the production of high school graduates who are fully prepared to
understand and contribute to the democratic process. Participation in debate
instills the confidence and awareness that young people need in order to
fulfill their roles as members of a democratic society. Young people enter the
adult world prepared to respond to the two basic demands of civic
responsibility: developing informed opinions and expressing them effectively.
Through their intensive research, debaters learn to read and think carefully
and critically about a wide variety of public policy issues.”
(http://www.urbandebate.org/value.shtml).
“Former debaters are disproportionately represented among
leaders in the media, the business word, the law, the academy, and the
government. Nearly two out of three Members of the 104th U.S. Congress
(1996-97) were former debaters.” (http://www.urbandebate.org/quickfacts.shtml)