STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
MAKING AN IMPACT The Power of Student-Led Organizations compiled by Annie Reisener
Briefly describe your speech and debate organization, including the services and resources you provide. NICHOLAS OSTHEIMER:
Equality in Forensics is a studentled nonprofit dedicated to making speech and debate more accessible. We started in December of 2021, when four students who experienced the fantastic benefits of speech and debate saw the inequality in forensics and observed a lack of action. Now, Equality in Forensics provides team
coaching, curriculum, events, and tournaments all completely free of charge for our community of more than 1,000 competitors from across the nation and world. Our volunteer team of over 60 students and coaches, including national and international champions, hosts weekly lectures and
workshops freely accessible to the public. SAM CHEN:
Outreach Debate is a 501(c)3 organization with a specific focus on connecting debaters on a national and global level. We believe that exceptional people create exceptional results. As a result, we frequently work with TOC champions as well members of Team USA, New Zealand, and Thailand. One of the prominent ways that Outreach Debate engages with the community is through a chapter system now in more than 25 U.S. states and 16 countries. These chapters have gone on to work with their local NSDA, share resources, and create
workshops. Additionally, we work on creating 100% free debate camps each winter and summer, interviews with national champions, blogs, newsletters, and international tournaments.
What needs do student-led orgs meet in the speech and debate community?
What do you believe is your organization’s most impactful offering?
NICHOLAS: Speech and debate is one of the most valuable high school activities. Yet, it is far from equal. Many teams have access to extensive resources, top-notch coaching, and subsidized travel. Students are denied these opportunities solely because of the wealth of their family, community, or school. Student-led groups offer the best solution to this problem: community. Organizations like ours work to overcome these inequities by sharing free resources, opportunities, and forging connections across the globe.
NICHOLAS: Equality in Forensics hosts multiple free, online tournaments throughout the year. Too few debaters have no opportunities to compete on a national level against top-notch competitors. Our tournaments give everyone a chance to practice, improve, and network with debaters across the country. We organize experienced competitors and coaches to volunteer as judges at our tournaments, giving high-quality feedback to all competitors. Since 2021, we have run six of these competitions, hosting more than 350 entries completely free of charge.
SAM: Organizations led by students are a powerful way to bolster our community. SAM: Outreach Debate In competitions and hosts a free winter and organizations like the summer camp every year NSDA, it’s hard to learn in Public Forum Debate. To from a national community date, this has helped more when most people are than 400 debaters across focused on winning. the country. We connect Student organizations help debaters from the United deconstruct that competitive States and across the atmosphere into one that is globe, so it is a fantastic communal and collaborative. way to broaden students’ Students understand that speech and debate can be LEARN MORE! costly. Volunteerbased programs www.equalityinforensics.org are a way in which students can help www.outreachdebate.com combat this divide.
Annie Reisener serves as the Director of Membership at the NSDA. Nicholas Ostheimer is a junior at Florida Atlantic University High School in Florida. Sam Chen is a senior at Boston Latin School in Massachusetts. Nicholas and Sam are members of the 2023-2024 Student Leadership Council.
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ROSTRUM | FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024