National Debate Forum Funding
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Debate has taken the four of us on a thrilling journey. For the past 4 years, we have been immersed in debate as competitors and volunteers in the NYC Urban Debate League. Now we are finishing up sophomore year at the HS for Law, Advocacy and Community Justice and Leadership and Public Service High School, where we have had the great privilege of starting debate teams in our high schools. We've had the great fortune to compete year round in debate, where we have made it to the elimination rounds at local and national tournaments.
We have been accepted to our dream debate camp: the National Debate Forum! The camp has offered a 50% scholarship. While we are honored to receive their acceptance and support, we cannot afford the remaining $1000 each that would allow us to participate. We hope that you consider making a donation to support us in our debate education.

WHY FEIRY DEBATES
“Only four years ago, I was a student curled up in a corner, with shyness and silence as my two main qualities. Students, teachers, and my mom urged me to open up to the world. Today, I devote myself to the world. As a 3 time NYCUDL City Champion, and a confident debater on the National Circuit, I found that a plastic trophy wasn’t what makes me stick to debate. Debate gives me a community to give back to and to fight for. Whether I debate about refugees, a Carbon Tax, or the Cuban Embargo, it always comes down to social justice. Coming from a hard working family, with an immigrant mother who dropped out of college to raise me, and two brothers who work non-stop to keep the family from economic collapse in a poor household, I learned to debate for those who allow me to stand where I am today. Someday I hope my commitment to social justice will lead me to a career where I can directly impact disadvantaged communities.”

WHY LUIS DEBATES
“When I debate, I debate as a person of color, an English language learner, and a child of immigrant parents who’ve sacrificed everything so that their son can live the American Dream. When I began debating, I could tell sometimes by my opponents’ faces that they underestimated my teammates and me. Although so many times I felt self-conscious about the way I looked, spoke, or even dressed, these experiences have led me to become the debater I am now. The debater that won the City Championship, the debater that received top team and top speaker awards at local tournaments throughout his debate career, the debater that was titled “Debater of the Year” by the New York City Urban Debate League. Debate has been life changing for me.”

WHY RAJENDRA DEBATES
“I come from an Indian background, and there aren’t lots of Sikhs in my neighborhood. There aren’t a lot of debaters in my neighborhood, either. Plus, I am a first generation citizen and a child of immigrants. We have trouble paying the bills and live in a low-income neighborhood. At debate tournaments, my partner Julio Cordero and I tend to be the only team competing without the support of an established debate program at their high school. I am the ‘other’ both in the debate community and in my own neighborhood. It has been a challenge, but debate helps me make the extra effort to become a leader. My parents inspire me to become successful for them, because they know what it means to strive and take risks. I am determined to break the stereotype of a typical “Harlem kid” and bring out my inner voice.”

WHY JULIO DEBATES
“I was introduced to debate at age 13 when I was in the process of grieving my mother's death. I felt hopeless and depressed both in and out of school. Despite everything I was going through, I couldn't shake the idea of debating out of my mind. Many people see debate as a fun extracurricular activity, but for me it's something that sparked light in my eyes and ultimately helped me cope with my mother's death by giving me something to look forward to. Through debate, I’ve grown from an average teenager from Harlem to a mentor and role model for younger students in my community. A few times a week, I go to my former middle school, PS 161, and work with students on speaking drills, topic analysis, block writing and mock rounds. I also volunteer as a judge at the NYCUDL elementary and middle school tournaments on Saturdays. I have learned that debate is far from a solitary activity; it is about engaging more with the community and helping to advocate for those around you.”

As teens from West Harlem competing on the national debate circuit, we are acutely aware of the wall that exists between two kinds of debaters: the champions, and the underdogs who often live up to the word “under”. This division is often underscored by subtle markers of class and privilege. At every National Circuit Tournament, the division is made by the NDF sticker that sits menacingly on the laptops of my opponents. Being able to go to this camp isn’t just about breaking that class barrier between debaters. It’s far more about using what the camp teaches us to give back to the community that has supported us so far.
We hope that you would consider making a donation — even a small one of $20 — to help us achieve our dreams in debate.
Sincerely,
Feiry Guaba, Luis Benitez, Rajendra Singh and Julio Cordero
We have been accepted to our dream debate camp: the National Debate Forum! The camp has offered a 50% scholarship. While we are honored to receive their acceptance and support, we cannot afford the remaining $1000 each that would allow us to participate. We hope that you consider making a donation to support us in our debate education.
WHY FEIRY DEBATES
“Only four years ago, I was a student curled up in a corner, with shyness and silence as my two main qualities. Students, teachers, and my mom urged me to open up to the world. Today, I devote myself to the world. As a 3 time NYCUDL City Champion, and a confident debater on the National Circuit, I found that a plastic trophy wasn’t what makes me stick to debate. Debate gives me a community to give back to and to fight for. Whether I debate about refugees, a Carbon Tax, or the Cuban Embargo, it always comes down to social justice. Coming from a hard working family, with an immigrant mother who dropped out of college to raise me, and two brothers who work non-stop to keep the family from economic collapse in a poor household, I learned to debate for those who allow me to stand where I am today. Someday I hope my commitment to social justice will lead me to a career where I can directly impact disadvantaged communities.”
WHY LUIS DEBATES
“When I debate, I debate as a person of color, an English language learner, and a child of immigrant parents who’ve sacrificed everything so that their son can live the American Dream. When I began debating, I could tell sometimes by my opponents’ faces that they underestimated my teammates and me. Although so many times I felt self-conscious about the way I looked, spoke, or even dressed, these experiences have led me to become the debater I am now. The debater that won the City Championship, the debater that received top team and top speaker awards at local tournaments throughout his debate career, the debater that was titled “Debater of the Year” by the New York City Urban Debate League. Debate has been life changing for me.”
WHY RAJENDRA DEBATES
“I come from an Indian background, and there aren’t lots of Sikhs in my neighborhood. There aren’t a lot of debaters in my neighborhood, either. Plus, I am a first generation citizen and a child of immigrants. We have trouble paying the bills and live in a low-income neighborhood. At debate tournaments, my partner Julio Cordero and I tend to be the only team competing without the support of an established debate program at their high school. I am the ‘other’ both in the debate community and in my own neighborhood. It has been a challenge, but debate helps me make the extra effort to become a leader. My parents inspire me to become successful for them, because they know what it means to strive and take risks. I am determined to break the stereotype of a typical “Harlem kid” and bring out my inner voice.”
WHY JULIO DEBATES
“I was introduced to debate at age 13 when I was in the process of grieving my mother's death. I felt hopeless and depressed both in and out of school. Despite everything I was going through, I couldn't shake the idea of debating out of my mind. Many people see debate as a fun extracurricular activity, but for me it's something that sparked light in my eyes and ultimately helped me cope with my mother's death by giving me something to look forward to. Through debate, I’ve grown from an average teenager from Harlem to a mentor and role model for younger students in my community. A few times a week, I go to my former middle school, PS 161, and work with students on speaking drills, topic analysis, block writing and mock rounds. I also volunteer as a judge at the NYCUDL elementary and middle school tournaments on Saturdays. I have learned that debate is far from a solitary activity; it is about engaging more with the community and helping to advocate for those around you.”
As teens from West Harlem competing on the national debate circuit, we are acutely aware of the wall that exists between two kinds of debaters: the champions, and the underdogs who often live up to the word “under”. This division is often underscored by subtle markers of class and privilege. At every National Circuit Tournament, the division is made by the NDF sticker that sits menacingly on the laptops of my opponents. Being able to go to this camp isn’t just about breaking that class barrier between debaters. It’s far more about using what the camp teaches us to give back to the community that has supported us so far.
We hope that you would consider making a donation — even a small one of $20 — to help us achieve our dreams in debate.
Sincerely,
Feiry Guaba, Luis Benitez, Rajendra Singh and Julio Cordero
Organizer and beneficiary
Julio Cordero
Organizer
New York, NY
Tyler Beattie
Beneficiary