WORLD DEBATE INSTITUTE

Transcription

1 WORLD DEBATE INSTITUTE 475 Main Street, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT USA phone, fax, web site 15 July 2013 J. Scott Wunn National Forensic League Dear Scott, Here is a report on year one of our project to promote World Schools Debating Championship format debating in the USA. We know that your council, members and sponsors would appreciate this information. It has been a great honor for the World Debate Institute to work with you on this project. When we announced our intention to engage in the promotion of the WSDC format we could only hope that a group as prestigious as yours would join us in this effort. You were able to locate partners (as were we) and sponsors for this effort. You have our thanks. The first year of the project was, we think, a success. We got a lot of notice from the debate community and an incredible amount of attention at the national tournament in Alabama. Certainly, this success will mean nothing unless we have active and successful follow up in the years to come. Our meeting in Birmingham, Alabama was very productive and helped us understand what our next moves can and should be. Thanks again, and we look forward to working with you on this and other projects to promote debating on Planet Earth. Best wishes, Alfred Snider Director, World Debate Institute

2 WORLD SCHOOLS DEBATING CHAMPIONSHIP FORMAT IN THE USA REPORT YEAR ONE GOALS To create awareness in the USA of the WSDC format and its particular features, To demonstrate the format to NFL schools through well-attended public debates. To create and circulate instructional materials in WSDC format debate. To begin the process of facilitating USA high school program use of the WSDC debate format. To integrate WSDC format debate into the National Forensic League. To plan for additional efforts in following years. METHODS Begin publicity about WSDC format debate and what it is. Network with global WSDC community and recruit support for this effort. Hold workshops at NFL Nationals to provide awareness. Create videos of workshops at NFL Nationals for use later, especially on NFL website. Learn from Houston Urban Debate League about adding WSDC format debate to an existing USA program. Stage the Five Nation Round Robin Tournament at NFL Nationals. Explore with opinion leader coaches at NFL Nationals about next steps. Demonstrate before a large national audience an actual competitive WSDC format debate at NFL Nationals. Meet with NFL and plan for next steps in the project. RESULTS We began publicity but there were challenges. The major press did not pick it up and other debate organizations showed limited interest. NFL publicity was excellent and reached all of their member schools.

3 The WSDC programs of Canada, Mexico, Slovenia, Singapore, USA and Houston Urban Debate League responded positively to our invitation, all we invited came. Many other international programs showed strong interest in the growth of WSDC format debate in the USA and sent messages of encouragement. Many asked to be kept informed about future developments. Workshops were held at NFL Nationals. While we wish that more had attended (other events were going on) many schools indicated a strong interest in a debate format that is both accessible and challenging to students, while many were also interested in opportunities to debate abroad and to host international teams. The videos that were created at NFL Nationals were excellent (by nonprofessional standards). The NFL agreed to create training space on their main website that can host these videos and other training materials. Mark Webber of Mexico is creating a video about WSDC format debate that highlights the similarities and differences between this format and existing USA schools formats. His experience as a USA high school coach is invaluable in this. We hope to have this completed video soon. The Houston Urban Debate League presentation on adopting WSDC format debate was most interesting, and we look forward to working with them more on how to reach out to USA schools. They will serve as our demonstration that it can be done and that it can be very popular and rewarding for USA students. The Five Nation Round Robin tournament was held with much success. The debates that were taped will serve as demonstrations. The final round, between Slovenia and Singapore, was watched by over 4000 people and took place immediately after the Public Forum Debate final that was also on the topic of drone strikes. The comparisons were very favorable, and the audience seemed very involved in the debate, with applause and signs of appreciation. The audience loved points of information. The debate was won 3-0 by Singapore. The NFL made a high quality professional video of the final round and we do not yet have access to it, but we are sure it will be available soon. We will use it in our demonstration and promotion. We met with many leading coaches while at NFL Nationals and all seemed very supportive. There seems to be a growing understanding that debating is not just a USA activity, but that it involves the whole world. These coaches also seem to realize that we cannot expect the world to adopt our formats (that are very particular to the USA setting) but that we can add WSDC format debate to USA offerings to set the stage for additional international debate cooperation as well as provide the associated educational benefits to USA students. We asked for advice on how to accomplish our goals and a number of them pledged to join a support committee for this effort that we will be establishing in the fall. We met with NFL Executive Secretary J. Scott Wunn and charted our course for the next two years of the program. He was very positive about the support this effort will have on the part of the NFL Council and its member schools. FUTURE PLANS Future plans were discussed with the NFL. J. Scott Wunn represented the NFL and Alfred Snider represented WDI. Charles Chafer of the Houston Urban Debate

4 League could not attend due to an issue with one of his space launches, but has been kept in the loop. The discussion followed the rough outlines of the original proposal, but there were some changes and new ideas. In Year Two: o Publicity for the program must be ramped up using NFL channels, WDI channels, the international debate media and the general mainstream media. o The NFL will hold webinar training sessions for interested USA schools, utilizing both USA and international instructors. o The NFL website will feature extensive training materials for WSDC format debate with the cooperation of WDI. o The NFL & WDI will use its new online debate platform to hold one or more online tournaments utilizing this format. o The NFL & WDI will invite member schools to host qualifying tournaments in this format, with videos submitted for consideration. From this group, and also from international teams, the NFL & WDI will select schools to invite to an event, at 2014 NFL Nationals, called a World invitational Tournament in WSDC format debate. This event will last all week long. The final round would be held on Friday (Finals day), in front of the entire tournament audience. It will be streamed live. o The NFL & WDI will propose to the Council the addition of WSDC format debate as a supplemental event for those who have been eliminated from their main events for the second half of the week. o NFL & WDI will stage several one-off Internet debates, utilizing the NFL s new online platform, between USA teams and international teams. o Assess year two accomplishments at NFL Nationals and plan for year three. In Year Three: o Continue to expand publicity. o Continue to expand online instructional materials. o Educational webinars provided by NFL & WDI would reach the level of current programs supporting other debate formats. o NFL & WDI will hold multiple online tournaments allowing USA students to experience WSDC format debating as well as encountering international competition. o Pending a success of the World Invitational Tournament in year two, it will be continued, with a focus on students not qualifying for NFL in main events as well as international teams. o Propose to the NFL Board of Directors an official experimental year of WSDC format debate where every NFL District and Urban Debate League in the country (which holds an official qualifying tournament) would be able to bring one WSDC team to the NFL Nationals to compete for a national championship in this event. o Assess year three accomplishments and plan for the future. CHALLENGES

5 Making sure that the NFL online debate platform is fully functional. Working to provide opportunities for USA students who may speak a language other than English as their first or second language to debate online in that other language. Overcoming fear of foreign that some coaches have. Getting the attention of mainstream and international media. Overcoming the feeling that I have too much to do already among current programs. Persuading those unhappy with current NFL debate formats (for whatever reason) to try WSDC format debate. Spreading the stories of those who are trying WSDC format debate and like it. Creating more permanent sponsorships from the corporate community and individuals for this effort.

6 HISTORY OF THE PROJECT Crowd watching 2013 final in Alabama WDI Announcement, October xpand_wsdc_in_usa.html WDI & NFL to Hold WSDC Round Robin Tournament, March old_wsdc_round_robin.html WDI & NFL Hold WSDC Training at NFL Nationals, May C_Training_at_NFL_Nationals.html WSDC Tournament and Training Schedule, June NFL_WSDC_Round_Robin_Schedule.html WSDC Five Nation Round Robin Pairings and Motions, June Motions from NFL-WSDC Five Nation Round Robin, Birmingham, Alabama, June Singapore Wins Five National WSDC Tournament in Alabama, June

7 TOURNAMENT RESULTS Student debaters at Five Nation Round Robin 2013 Cumulative sheets Ballots VIDEOS OF DEBATES Doctors should never lie to their patients (impromptu) Slovenia vs. Houston The Eurozone has done more harm than good (prepared) Canada vs. Singapore Ban unpaid internships (impromptu) Mexico vs. Slovenia

8 Mark Webber of Mexico making a presentation at a workshop in Alabama VIDEO RESOURCES Adding WSDC Debate to Your Program Mark Niles & Sandra Rodriguez, Houston Urban Debate League Motions and Interpretation Geetha Creffield, Singapore Debate Association WSDC Debate International Geetha Creffield, Singapore Debate Association and Bojana Skrt, Slovenia Z.I.P. Points of Information Geetha Creffield, Singapore Judging WSDC Debates Joshua Judah, Canadian National Team Web resources for WSDC debating Alfred Snider, University of Vermont CONTACTS: J. Scott Wunn, Executive Director, National Forensic League scott.wunn@nationalforensicleague.org Alfred Snider, Director, World Debate Institute Alfred.snider@uvm.edu