By Lisa Schemensky
The Forensics Community

Continuing from Part I: After reflecting on the impact Forensics has had on my life, and the benefits of Urban Debate brought to kids who otherwise would not know of Forensics, I get an inside perspective of The Duval Urban Debate League.

I learned of the Duval Urban Debate League (DUDL) while working on The Forensics Community’s Twitter account (@ForensicsFriend).  The DUDL (follow them @greatdebaters) had posted a story about a recent middle school tournament they had held and I retweeted.  What followed was an e-mail correspondence with Jermyn Shannon-El, Founder/Developer of the DUDL.  Like most, I did not know much about Urban Debate, however; I wanted to — particularly about a league so fresh and helpful to their community.  So I asked Jermyn a few questions about Urban Debate and the Duval UDL.  I hope you, the reader, finds his responses as enlightening as I did.

Lisa: Is the DUDL a member of the National Association of Urban Debate Leagues (NAUDL)?  I am kind of making the assumption here that Urban Debate leagues across the country are all unified under that National group…

Jermyn: First of all, thank you for this wonderful opportunity to publicize the Duval UDL. I absolutely love the ForensicCommunity. During our inaugural year, our administrative staff, selected to organically grow the League to ensure DUDL met local and state requirements both academically and socially based on student/school/and district needs. We anticipate to become a member of the NAUDL next year. All urban debate leagues are not necessarily a part of the NAUDL, particularly in the South where policy debate is practically void at the secondary and post-secondary level.  [Note: Policy Debate is the main type of Debate practiced by the NAUDL, thus why the NAUDL is not a major factor of Southern Debate.]

Lisa: Is the DUDL strictly for middle schools?  If so, does it feed into a high school Urban Debate program?  And what is the success rate of middle schoolers who debate sticking with it in HS?

Jermyn: DUDL started out at the Middle School level (6-8) to meet the challenges most students face to stay in school. (continue reading under image to the right)

"The Duval Urban Debate League kicked off began as an in-school/after school program for 6th-8th grade students. The Leagues mission is to aggressively enhance the academic curriculum over a 5-6 year period. This is a critical stage for most students who transition from middle to high school. With seven middle schools in the first year, the League is poised to expand to an additional five middle schools and a minimum of five high schools next year in Duval County alone, in addition, we are processing two elementary schools. We developed our League to meet the five year strategic plan of the local school district and Florida state-wide Strategic Plan. We are currently developing a strong evaluation of the program not only based on where the students are, but where we hope they will be academically and socially as graduates in 2014. The majority of our schools this year are Turnaround Schools, though next year will not necessarily reflect such, we plan to expand to the feeder high schools of our targeted middle school debate teams." - says Jermyn Shannon-El, League Developer

Lisa: I read how your program’s “lesson plans are designed to enhance debate course work inside and outside of the classroom.”  This implies that the DUDL is not just an after school activity like most Forensics teams at schools (I apologize if I am wrong).  How does this program work?

Jermyn: The private-public partnership affords us the opportunity to introduce career education incentives for our debaters and debate coaches. It opens doors for professional development beyond the classroom. We use a variety of technology solutions and applications, such as VoiceThread and Google, to empower students, parents, and coaches with debate enhancement tools and lesson plans that are leveraged 24/7. The debate coaches that are educators go out of their way to incorporate these tools in their daily instruction to better prepare students for test, tournaments, and overall academic performance.

Lisa: So students sign up for debate and have competition on weekends?  How much like an after school class/activity is the DUDL?

Jermyn: Yes…we host student recruitment workshops once per quarter at each school to engage new and existing debaters in the program. Each month we host a policy debate tournament at a different site location to engage students, parents, and educators with a different learning experience at a middle or high school or diff college campus.  It follows the tradition of urban debate with After School activities and instruction, however we try as much as possible to engage novice debaters in public forums and community service learning projects

Lisa: I love the approach here and genuinely wish to know more about how the DUDL is integrated into the classroom/education system.

Jermyn: Thank you. It is definitely a work in progress with very high expectations from all involved. Debate has been strategic in rallying the entire community of Jacksonville around higher learning activities for all youth.

Lisa: What qualifies a school or student access to use of the DUDL’s resources?

Jermyn: Nothing more than a special interest in in speech and debate at the secondary or post-secondary school or district level. They can visit our website at www.dudl.org to sign up as a student, school, volunteer, or donor.

Lisa: How many schools are involved?  Also, on the DUDL site student membership is listed around 150; is that number still true?

Jermyn: We currently have about 100 registered and active members and roughly 15 schools going into the Summer.

Lisa: What can people do to help their local Urban Debate League…or even start one?

Jermyn: Our initial goal in developing a successful, fully-engaged debate program is to get the support and commitment from the District, Principals, and Parents during initial registration. We visit all entities to carefully explain the program and to have participation/consent forms  from all parties involved. We then set up a fund development strategy for each school and a “train-the-trainer” program with ongoing professional development for the debate coaches and educators involved. For interested parties who wish to sign up, they can simply visit DUDL online to complete the form here.

Summary

It is because of leagues like the Duval Urban Debate League and the people behind them that young people in America are given a chance. The frustrations caused by those in control’s desire between wanting to provide for students and their inability to do so is endless.  Yet, not one person or practice can be accused.  Blame No Child Left Behind’s failures, the Economy, poverty, a focus on teaching towards a test instead of a general enrichment of intelligence, misappropriation of funds, lack of focus on the arts, and so on.  The simple truth is funding cannot be relied upon, nor is funding alone enough to create a solid league – or school system even. What can be counted upon are the people behind the league. The dedication, passion, and will they possess is inspiring.  Without Debate and Speech fighters like Jermyn, battling for those without a voice, for kids who never dreamed they could even find a whisper, nothing would get accomplished.  The Duval Urban Debate League would not exist;  nor would the National Association for Urban Debate League have such a presence.  The first Urban Debate League in Atlanta could never be.

But they do.  Because there are dreamers and those with compassion willing to sacrifice.  To endure. To grow.

Works Cited

Shannon-El, Jermyn (follow on Facebook). Personal Interview. 13 May 2010.

Dayvon Love and Deven Cooper, both BUDL grads and Towson Juniors, beat top seed University of Kansas in the final round of the Cross Examination (CEDA) national championship 2008 final round in Wichita, Kansas.

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The purpose of the Community Debate Forum is to create dialogue around the holistic development of urban youth and the importance of a global education.

Two main themes of the event will touch on each point, as follows:

1. Brenda Priestly-Jackson, keynote speaker, will highlight the future of education and how the community-at-large must alter our perspective on life to create effective change. Mrs. Priestly-Jackson will give us a snap shot of what education looks like in 2020.
2. The panel will consists of various key figure heads who will share the significant roles they play in state and local government, as well as their perspective on the benefits of social services. On the other side of the panel, we have the Great Debaters, the majority of which are the recipients of social services.  Their role will be to discuss how debate has afforded them to analyze the Cons/Negatives of social services.

Click here for more details >

Jacksonville, Florida – Novice debaters Maia Ambrister and team mate Ebonee Maxey kept their winning streak alive at the first Duval Urban Policy Debate Competition at Florida State College of Jacksonville (FSCJ) this past weekend, just edging out Butler Middle Debate Team, Adrian Lord and Leroy Harrison III who took home the 2nd place trophy.

Twelve teams went head-to-head for three rounds of policy debate on the topic “the federal government should increase funding for Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (food stamps) for persons living in poverty in the United States”.

The tournament featured 6 schools from around the inner city of Jacksonville.

“Our young debaters can’t seem to surprise me enough. Their confidence, performance, and passion for is a clear indication that Jacksonville will deliver national contenders in a few years. This last event was a tremendous showing for what’s in store when you raise the expectations and provide students with variants in learning,” said Jermyn Shannon El, DUDL Developer.

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St. Claire Evans Academy

Originally uploaded by Blacksonville Community Network

The Duval UDL welcomes it’s newest member to the urban debate league, St. Claire Evans Academy, located on Moncrief Road in Jacksonville. St. Claire will choose twenty 3rd-5th graders to begin training in January in novice speech and debate.

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Forensics is defined as competition in speech, debate and dramatic presentation, but it is really about the power of words to influence ideas, uncover higher truth, change minds, and for Tommie Lindsey’s students in room 408—change lives.

A Teacher with a Bigger Mission
Most of the students who participate in forensics at Logan High School are at-risk or come from troubled homes. Many of their performances are personal and sometimes painful. “A lot of kids have issues going on at home, and they escape those by coming to Forensics,” says Tommie. “You’ll see that they are hurting but they are not in a situation to know how to express that kind of hurt.”

Tommie Lindsey is available for speaking engagements across the country.

One student says, “Mr. Lindsey is such a father figure to everybody. He just puts out his heart and soul; he cares about his students. Whatever it takes to get a student to where they want to be, he will do it.”

The Conduct of Champions
Through Tommie’s dedication and coaching, students learn to draw on their personal experiences and unlock their potential. Tommie’s students have won four state titles and several national championships with cutting edge pieces about street life, race and discrimination. They regularly beat the country’s elite schools and most importantly, they beat the odds.

“People are amazed, because these kinds of kids aren’t supposed to be in forensics,” Tommie says. But he isn’t surprised. “I expect them to be champions and to conduct themselves that way, and they respond.”

An Outstanding Record
Although only 40 percent of students at Logan High School go on to four-year colleges, about 90 percent of Tommie’s forensics students do…to universities like Harvard, Yale and Berkeley! That kind of success rate has drawn students like Pierre to the program. He quit the football team when he learned that more Logan Forensics students go to college than football players. Pierre is now a senior and considered to be one of the best high school debaters in the country.

Despite the team’s accomplishments, Logan’s forensics funding was cut. Tommie often digs into his own wallet to keep his students competing. Tommie says, “I have always had a passion for kids who others believed just couldn’t do it.”

A former student says, “The effect years down the road is that he creates another powerhouse of a person, who can stand in front of anyone, speak about any subject with confidence.”

See what’s on the James Logan Forensics Team’s wish list!

For more information, please contact:
James Logan Forensics Team
1800 H Street
Union City, CA 94587
PH: 510-205-7089
FAX: 510-471-0514
E-mail: Tommie_Lindsey@Hotmail.com

For more information on Tommie Lindsey and the James Logan Forensics Team, visit www.pbs.org/accidentalhero.

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