Non Profit
$0 raised of $100 goal
0.00%
Help Opedollar Build The BrooklynLeague
by Opedollar1
Created Jun 01, 2022 |
Lagos state
- 0 Donations
- No deadline
- 0 Likes
The Speech and Debate community is notorious for gatekeeping. Most tournaments, summer camps, and leagues charge exorbitant fees for students to participate. This allows only certain voices to be heard in the Speech & Debate community. The community is dominated by private schools, parochial schools, and rich kids. BDL is safe space for all kids: queer and trans children, kids of color, kids from all income brackets, kids who are national champions and kids who have no experience in Speech and Debate. No matter what their story, we’re here to help them tell it. Parents are invited to make a donation that feels right to them, but no child will ever be turned away because of inability to pay.
The Brooklyn Debate League had a record number of students participate this year. We offered weekly programming every Monday night and sometimes we had 80+ kids compete at our tournaments. We had a record number of alumni coaches this year (ten of them) come to each week to run practice for a record number of categories. We have a record number of kids signed up already for our summer camp (over 40 kids) which means I'll need to hire a record number of summer coaches. That's all great and....we are not even breaking even right now. I have poured in about $6000 of my own money to keep our head above water this year. At this rate, my savings will run out in the next year or so.
If we had the funds, I would love to target 5-10 local public schools each semester and help them build a team from scratch by running on-site practices and giving student leaders (and ideally a faculty advisor) the tools they need to start a program. I'd also love to develop outreach programs in middle schools. I'd also love to build an outreach program specifically for youth who have been incarcerated.
And finally, my long-term pipe dream: Being a Speech & Debate coach is an unsustainable job. People teach full time, stay late on weekdays to run practices, and work every weekend taking kids to tournaments. I want to build a fellowship program where we partner with schools to provide coaches who are working on a full-time schedule tailored to Speech & Debate (e.g., teaching debate courses during the day and running after-school practices 11am-6pm Wednesday, Thursday, Friday; taking kids to tournaments on Saturday and Sunday) What if we laid down the infrastructure to get debate coaches into classrooms in high-need schools and found a way to compensate the teachers so that districts wouldn't have to worry about where the money came from. We could completely change the landscape of Speech & Debate here in NYC and beyond. I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who has read and commented on our story. I truly believe that Speech and Debate could be one of the most important tools for fighting inequity in schools, and my goal is to increase access as much as possible. Thank you to everyone who decides to support BDL, so we can take one step closer to this mission.
The Brooklyn Debate League had a record number of students participate this year. We offered weekly programming every Monday night and sometimes we had 80+ kids compete at our tournaments. We had a record number of alumni coaches this year (ten of them) come to each week to run practice for a record number of categories. We have a record number of kids signed up already for our summer camp (over 40 kids) which means I'll need to hire a record number of summer coaches. That's all great and....we are not even breaking even right now. I have poured in about $6000 of my own money to keep our head above water this year. At this rate, my savings will run out in the next year or so.
If we had the funds, I would love to target 5-10 local public schools each semester and help them build a team from scratch by running on-site practices and giving student leaders (and ideally a faculty advisor) the tools they need to start a program. I'd also love to develop outreach programs in middle schools. I'd also love to build an outreach program specifically for youth who have been incarcerated.
And finally, my long-term pipe dream: Being a Speech & Debate coach is an unsustainable job. People teach full time, stay late on weekdays to run practices, and work every weekend taking kids to tournaments. I want to build a fellowship program where we partner with schools to provide coaches who are working on a full-time schedule tailored to Speech & Debate (e.g., teaching debate courses during the day and running after-school practices 11am-6pm Wednesday, Thursday, Friday; taking kids to tournaments on Saturday and Sunday) What if we laid down the infrastructure to get debate coaches into classrooms in high-need schools and found a way to compensate the teachers so that districts wouldn't have to worry about where the money came from. We could completely change the landscape of Speech & Debate here in NYC and beyond. I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who has read and commented on our story. I truly believe that Speech and Debate could be one of the most important tools for fighting inequity in schools, and my goal is to increase access as much as possible. Thank you to everyone who decides to support BDL, so we can take one step closer to this mission.
Trending Campaign
Top Trending Campaigns
Animal
Legal Defense Fund
We need funds for legal funds. Please help us. Thanks
$51,145
51.15%
raised of $100,000
by Chris Poole
No deadline
Animal
Help Our Dog
We are raising funds for our dog. Please donate us.
$50,030
142.94%
raised of $35,000
by Daniella Teixeira
No deadline
Animal
The Mateo Vet
Want to join me in making a difference? I'm Dr. Mateo I've been a veterinarian f...
$49,990
499.90%
raised of $10,000
by Justin Harnish
No deadline
Featured Campaigns
Campaigns selected by our team
Animal
Horse Farm Needed Funds
Horses farm needed funds. Please help us. Thank you
$45,340
90.68%
raised of $50,000
by Chris Poole
No deadline
Animal
Support Wildlife
We need urgent funds for wildlife.
$49,770
49.77%
raised of $100,000
by Lachlan Bailey
No deadline
Animal
Help Feed the Animals During Lockdown
Help Feed the Animals During Lockdown
$45,440
908.80%
raised of $5,000
by Christian Frank
No deadline
Related Campaigns
Take a look at other campaigns in the same category.
Non Profit
Clean water Save lives - LAKE Malawi Campaign
LAKE MALAWI CLEANING UP SERVICEI am Sydney Bester Dinga, the Founder and CEO of...
$55
0.02%
raised of $250,000
by Sydney Bester Dinga
No deadline
Non Profit
Help for homeless people due to landslide
Due to the continuous Flood and landslides in Sindhupalchowk district since past...
$0
0.00%
raised of $10,000
by Anil Dhamala
No deadline
Non Profit
Rehabilitating Survivors of Human Trafficking
Global Welfare Association (GLOWA) is a counter-trafficking NGO based in Bamenda...
$0
0.00%
raised of $7,500
by Amy Barsoum
No deadline