Help Taiwanese Debate Students Reach NSDA Nationals

Summary: Several exceptional students from Taiwan have qualified to compete at the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament in June. The competition will take place in Des Moines, Iowa, which is quite far from Taiwan. As a result, some of these students likely will be unable to afford this opportunity without your support. Please consider chipping in to unlock a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these deserving students!

Letter:

My name is Mac Hays, and I am a debate coach in Taiwan. Every week, I teach classes at 6 different schools across the entire island of Taiwan. As an educational grant recipient, my work is funded by the government, which means that the schools I work with are mostly schools that would otherwise be unable to pay to have a qualified debate coach without participation in our program.

In Taiwan, I have met extraordinarily talented students who have developed a passion for debate that is unlike their passion for any other classes. Talent alone is not enough to overcome the enormous gap that exists between Taiwanese students and American students in English debate. At the NSDA qualifier tournament last weekend, students who never spoke English outside of school and who had never competed in English debate tournaments before were asked to try their best against students from American schools who can afford to consistently fly to the U.S. to compete against the best of the best. Despite the odds, our students prevailed. This year was the most successful year for local Taiwanese debaters in history. Over 70 students overcame their fears and decided to register for the NSDA qualifier tournament, over double the attendance record that was set last year. These students had the most success in program history in both absolute terms (one partnership has now set the program record for their success at this tournament) and on average (our teams had the highest average number of victories out of any cohort in history). Beating the odds like this requires extraordinary effort and commitment on the part of the students. This feat was only possible because of hours of extra work and preparation spent on weekends and after school hours – preparation that students chose to do themselves above and beyond expectations. As a result of this Herculean effort, a record number of Fulbright students have qualified for the NSDA National Speech and Debate Tournament, the most prestigious speech and debate competition in the world. These 4 students fought tooth and nail to qualify for limited spots to attend this competition, and are some of the most deserving students I have ever met.

These students have overcome many barriers to get here. However, there is one barrier that they cannot overcome on their own: resource constraints. Just as they thought they had overcome the gap in English debate skills, a new gap – this time, financial – has revealed itself to dash their hopes of claiming the opportunity they earned. Many of our students will not be able to debate at the NSDA National Speech and Debate Tournament if they are required to pay for the entire cost of travel, registration, and accommodations out of pocket. If nothing is done, they will almost certainly lose the opportunity to go, and the hundreds of hours of work they put in will be squandered at the last step before they are able to reap the fruits of their labor.

If even part of the cost of attendance is covered by fundraising, these students would be able to compete at the NSDA Tournament. This would be a life-changing experience. The NSDA Tournament is not just another debate competition. It is the largest and most important tournament out of any of the countless competitions in the US. Attending this competition will open countless doors to future opportunities for these students. Not only does this competition have the highest caliber of debate talent, but it also has the greatest number of guaranteed opportunities to compete in different styles of debate. Students who attend the week-long NSDA Tournament often learn more from it than from an entire year of debate class. In less developed debate districts in the US, the few students who are able to compete at NSDA return to their districts with new knowledge that they spread throughout their entire local debate community. They become mentors for the growth of other students in their area and often come back as part-time coaches once they have graduated to support their old team or others in the area. Thus, schools that send even one debater to the NSDA tournament are often making investments in the future success of the debate programs. Even before the competition, the fact that students are going to attend this prestigious competition motivates them to learn more about debate instead of stagnating, allowing them to continue pursuing their excitement for education in ways that they otherwise might not have an outlet for.

The best decision I ever made was to join the debate team. This activity has given me the skills to stand up for myself and advocate for the interests of others. It is safe to say that I would not be writing this letter without the practice of developing my voice afforded to me by debate. Academic debating is, I believe, the best way to foster critical thinking skills that educators otherwise struggle to teach. This sport is also one of the only academic exercises in which students primarily engage in it out of their own intrinsic motivation and love for the activity, which makes it a uniquely valuable vehicle for teaching English as well as other subjects. For these students, debate can open even more doors. Attending this competition may significantly boost their ability to compete for higher positions in their future careers, on top of the numerous other personal benefits it provides. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it would be a shame if material barriers ultimately prevented it from being seized. Any amount of money will help increase the odds that these bright students can attend this competition, while reducing the financial burden on their families. You could help support the future of local debate in Taiwan.

Funds will be used to support plane tickets (flights from Taipei to Des Moines are very expensive) and hotel accommodations for the duration of the competition.

Thank you for your consideration.

Mac Hays