The power of voice

My love of debate was largely by happenstance.

It started with a five-day summer camp at the New York City Urban Debate League. There, I discovered the excitement of researching issues, forming arguments and engaging in spirited discussions with peers equally as curious and determined as I was. In middle school, I joined weekly debate classes at the Bergen Debate Club and, throughout the pandemic, spent hours debating virtually from my bedroom.

In a world dominated by artificial intelligence, shrinking attention spans, political polarization and misinformation, debate is a valuable antidote. It slows us down enough to ask, What exactly is the claim here? Where is the evidence? Are these two concepts connected by causation, or simply correlation? It forces us to research complex topics; to trace, evaluate and question logic; to develop habits of mind like clarity, empathy and rigor; and to engage with diverse perspectives productively. And for students in particular, it offers a community of like-minded peers from across the globe. In short, debate has a plethora of well-defined academic and social benefits.

[Related: We keep asking young people to trust us. But how much do we really trust them?]

However, as I attended more debate tournaments, I caught sight of a trend: select schools that always seemed to stay in the nicest hotels, own the most pieces of custom-designed merchandise, travel on a chartered bus and ultimately experience competitive success. Through this observant yet critical lens, I began to interrogate the inherent structures of the activity.

I questioned why residential summer training camps cost upward of $5,000 for just two weeks, effectively limiting participation to individuals with the financial means.

I struggled to understand why tournaments, which I had long viewed as bastions of inclusivity and community, continued to increase entry fees while scholarship opportunities dried up. This increase in entry fees has been dramatic. Our analysis of data available on Tabroom.com — the official debate tournament registration and tabulation website — shows that fees have risen by 63% over the past decade.

My peers in Generation Z have grown restless over government inaction on gun control, reproductive rights and climate change, yet surveys estimate that young people — in some studies more than 60% — are afraid of public speaking, hindering their advocacy. However, no matter how many budget shifts are made, too many families will never be able to afford debate.

Founding Eloquence Academy

In 2022, I resolved to channel my frustrations into action. Through countless all-nighters, relentless cold outreach and 40-plus hour workweeks, what started as a series of local fundraisers has transformed into the world’s largest youth-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing equitable academic debate opportunities for geographically rural and historically underserved students.

Leading 150 volunteers and 39 chapters, Eloquence Academy has offered over 50,000 hours of free debate classes, tournaments, workshops and in-school programs — serving 3,000 students across 40 states and 20 countries while saving families an estimated $4,243,780 in traditional program costs.

Furthermore, since research and argumentation are the underlying skills already being developed in English, history, government, civics or political science classrooms, we have partnered with 116 schools and nonprofit organizations to formalize speech and debate clubs at their respective institutions. Our partnerships with the Jay Pritzker Academy and four campuses of Kaabe Schools contributed to the first-ever debate coaching programs in rural Angola, Cambodia and Somaliland.

The most meaningful part of my work is harnessing creativity and innovation to allow debate to flourish in unexpected places. When a small rural middle school in California lacked enough students for a debate team, I collaborated with a volunteer to design an engaging SpongeBob-themed lesson on logical fallacies. Later, I invited guest speakers from nearby recycling and water conservation centers to help students research the merits of a single-use plastic ban and understand the local, community-specific consequences.

[Related: Civic skills for 20 million young people: A Q&A with Rajiv Vinnakota]

One of our greatest milestones came in 2024 when I applied for and won $150,000 of in-kind and monetary grant support from Google, Microsoft and the Hershey Company. Their funding enabled me to expand our curriculum across borders. Since then, we have digitally published nearly 100 public-speaking resources in English and, through a partnership with the Latino Education Advancement Fund, Spanish. Complete with video modules, quizzes and interactive worksheets, that webpage has received 39,036 visits and attracted 16,084 unique student users from across all 50 states and 102 countries.

Empowering the next generation of young leaders

The results have been energizing. One student confided, “Although I have been hesitant about debate in the past, this program has led me to believe it’s an extremely interesting and engaging activity.” And post-program surveys show that 84% of alumni believe their participation at Eloquence Academy will benefit them in the future.

Indeed, debate’s transferable skills — including greater comfort with public speaking, improved critical thinking and more expansive intellectual humility — have empowered our students.

Not only are they better prepared for college and meaningful careers, but they are eager to speak up in their communities and take action for the causes they believe in. For example, Nguyen Quangh Vinh used his newfound social advocacy skills to lead a schoolwide assembly on environmental justice, while Sowmiya Deventhira-Raja launched a menstrual health donation drive for low-income women of color after debating about a similar topic. Collectively, these service projects have donated 30,000 items to 15,000 individuals in need.

Whether laughing on a late-night Zoom call or seeing students’ pride after a first successful debate round, I am constantly reminded how young people can — and should — use their voices, creativity and fresh ideas to change the world.

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Spencer Chaisanguanthum is an educator, nonprofit consultant and social impact leader. Over the past five years, as the founder and chief executive officer of Eloquence Academy, he has taught public speaking, civil discourse and research skills to 3,000 students internationally. Learn more about Eloquence Academy by visiting eloquenceacademy.org.