Education, the bedrock of society, remains alarmingly inaccessible. Over 600 million children are unable to attain minimum proficiency levels in education, a disparity both significant and overlooked disparity. Though solving this issue might seem to lie in policies, we can’t just wave the magic wand of fiat in the real world. This essay doesn’t aim to do that. If debate has taught me anything, it’s that smaller changes can be the best ways to solve bigger problems.
So how exactly do we provide access to education? Sure, debaters can’t literally give internet access and textbooks to millions of people, but grassroot initiatives like debate can still yield massive educational benefits. Debate can bridge the disparity, fostering essential communicative and research skills, and debaters have been shown to be 12% more likely to graduate high school. This can be harnessed, so long as we work to solve debate’s own inaccessibility.
A part of the problem is that the community is too focused on the game. Seeking success has led the debate community (especially nationally) to become insular: costly camps, pretentious prep-groups, dumb drama, etc. Not every debater and school can pay thousands for a chance at a gold bid, and there’s a reason we consistently see certain schools pop up. There’s no study that can show this notion, but it’s almost certainly a consensus. A survey of 137 debaters my friend did found that over 50% of participants have been hindered by monetary obstacles, and when asked about what they think the biggest issue in debate is, at least every other response mentioned either toxicity or accessibility.
Keeping the debate community alive and well is now our biggest uphill battle, but we can start somewhere. Specific solutions have been proposed and actions taken to tear down barriers to access, like online tournaments, Urban Debate Leagues, and projects to expand tournaments and board seats to low-income schools and communities—which has been a massive project in Ohio. Camp was especially helpful in making connections and learning new skills, but it has a monetary barrier-to-entry, which is one I might not be able to overcome this year.
All of those collective efforts to break down barriers are great, but it begins on an individual level. Nobody tells you this, but it’s far easier to make a 300 page blockfile than it is to recruit a couple of freshmen to join debate. There’s simply no amount of candy that can get a novice to go to their first tournament, especially now.
However, creating and sharing resources, volunteering and mentoring at camps, or even just building your school’s community up can all help bring down barriers. All it took for me to join PF was one junior taking me under his wing, and now I could never imagine my life without it. Winning TOC pales in comparison to laughing with friends eating mediocre tournament meals, or late night prep-sessions with your squad, because those moments make us feel like we’re where we’re meant to be.
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