We Help Kids Find Their Voice.
Speech and Debate is a transformative activity that can help children become more confident, knowledgeable about the world, and develop important life skills. However, with the rise of ultra pricy camps and private coaches, Speech and Debate has become increasingly more exclusive, creating a barrier from many people from joining and becoming successful in the activity.
We’ve gone to every major camp in the country and we’ve learned what works and what doesn’t. Through our debate career, we’ve had to painstakingly learn the tips and tricks to help us succeed. At Advocate, we provide the instruction that most camps and private coaches have at a fraction of the cost and at a much higher quality. Advocate’s main goal is to empower women and other minorities to succeed in debate. Women have a higher chance of dropping out of debate, and not continuing, which is why there are so few nationally recognized and successful women debaters. Debate can often be a toxic environment for women, as they are excluded from prep groups, voted down for not being “persuasive” enough, and left without a support system. Similarly, minorities such as Black debaters and Latinx debaters face discrimination in debate, and underprivileged children can’t get past the cost barrier. Advocate is breaking down the barriers in debate, one step at a time. At Advocate, we are equalizing debate instruction so no matter who you are or what race, sexuality, or wealth class you are, you can find success in debate. Our champion staff is mostly women, and most camps don’t even hire women debaters. Together, we can form a community that uplifts and empowers the diverse voices in debate- which is what debate is really all about.
100 percent of the proceeds from our debate camps and instruction go to charities and the Dallas Urban Debate League.
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Eesha Suri and Shriya Punreddy
Founders of Advocate Debate