High and Middle School Students Partner with International Expert Network on National Debate Topic
(Washington DC) December 2, 2019 – Today, the Washington Urban Debate League (WUDL) and the Forum on the Arms Trade announced a partnership to help local urban high and middle school students grapple with this year's national debate topic. That topic, focused on whether the United States should "substantially reduce" its arms sales, will be argued over by students across the country until next summer.
Each year, the WUDL hosts regional competitions and works with D.C. and Prince George's county urban public schools, and more than a dozen charter networks, using debate to engage urban youth to think, communicate, collaborate, and love learning. During the summer, experts with the Forum on the Arms Trade volunteered with the League's two-week preparatory program, meeting more than 100 students and providing their professional insights into the complex bureaucracy behind U.S. arms trade decisions and wide-ranging implications of it. During the school year, they will also visit local schools and be on call to answer student questions.
In early 2020, the Forum will host WUDL students in a public exhibition debate in downtown DC targeting adults who work on these issues. The hope is to give local professionals a chance to see how youth are tackling thorny arms trade topics, and to provide the students insights into how decisions are made as an expert panel offers critique.
"Debate is a unique educational opportunity that helps students find their own voice, develop skills they'll use the rest of their lives, and learn about the world around them," said David Trigaux, director of the WUDL. "Urban Debate evens the playing field and makes these opportunities possible for everyone," he added.
"The Forum on the Arms Trade is very excited to have the opportunity to engage with local students to build understanding on critical arms trade issues that are at the heart of U.S. national and global security," said Jeff Abramson, a senior fellow at the Arms Control Association and director of the Forum on the Arms Trade. "It was by participating in high school debate thirty years ago that I first began to comprehend politics and policy dilemmas. It's especially exciting to have the chance to create similar opportunities for urban students here in the DMV," he added.
The Forum on the Arms Trade is a professional network of more than 80 experts around the world who are working to strengthen public efforts to address the humanitarian, economic and other implications of arms transfers, security assistance, and weapons use. It is managed from Washington DC.
Contacts and more information:
David Trigaux, Director, Washington Urban Debate League – (202) 770-7887, david.trigaux@urbandebate.org
Jeff Abramson, Senior Fellow, Arms Control Association and Director, Forum on the Arms Trade – (202) 780-6215, jeff@forumarmstrade.org,
WUDL: http://www.urbandebatewashingtondc.org/
Forum on the Arms Trade: https://www.forumarmstrade.org/ and https://www.forumarmstrade.org/hspolicydebate.html
Each year, the WUDL hosts regional competitions and works with D.C. and Prince George's county urban public schools, and more than a dozen charter networks, using debate to engage urban youth to think, communicate, collaborate, and love learning. During the summer, experts with the Forum on the Arms Trade volunteered with the League's two-week preparatory program, meeting more than 100 students and providing their professional insights into the complex bureaucracy behind U.S. arms trade decisions and wide-ranging implications of it. During the school year, they will also visit local schools and be on call to answer student questions.
In early 2020, the Forum will host WUDL students in a public exhibition debate in downtown DC targeting adults who work on these issues. The hope is to give local professionals a chance to see how youth are tackling thorny arms trade topics, and to provide the students insights into how decisions are made as an expert panel offers critique.
"Debate is a unique educational opportunity that helps students find their own voice, develop skills they'll use the rest of their lives, and learn about the world around them," said David Trigaux, director of the WUDL. "Urban Debate evens the playing field and makes these opportunities possible for everyone," he added.
"The Forum on the Arms Trade is very excited to have the opportunity to engage with local students to build understanding on critical arms trade issues that are at the heart of U.S. national and global security," said Jeff Abramson, a senior fellow at the Arms Control Association and director of the Forum on the Arms Trade. "It was by participating in high school debate thirty years ago that I first began to comprehend politics and policy dilemmas. It's especially exciting to have the chance to create similar opportunities for urban students here in the DMV," he added.
The Forum on the Arms Trade is a professional network of more than 80 experts around the world who are working to strengthen public efforts to address the humanitarian, economic and other implications of arms transfers, security assistance, and weapons use. It is managed from Washington DC.
Contacts and more information:
David Trigaux, Director, Washington Urban Debate League – (202) 770-7887, david.trigaux@urbandebate.org
Jeff Abramson, Senior Fellow, Arms Control Association and Director, Forum on the Arms Trade – (202) 780-6215, jeff@forumarmstrade.org,
WUDL: http://www.urbandebatewashingtondc.org/
Forum on the Arms Trade: https://www.forumarmstrade.org/ and https://www.forumarmstrade.org/hspolicydebate.html