Programs
After-school program
Our after-school program is for youth ages 11-18 at our participating locations. Here we use debate to teach essential life skills to Detroit youth. We currently have 20 locations that carry our program. Each location averages between 21-30 students. Participants will engage in competitive debates against other teams in our league.
summer CAMP
In partnership with The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, we offer our free debate summer camp.
During the summer program, students ages 11-18 learn how to debate and compete. This means researching
topics, giving speeches in front of peers, gaining rebuttal experience, and challenging their peers/teammates. In addition to the debate programming, we offer the students community field trips called "Friday Fundays." Through these experiences, students engage with our community partners and gain insight on a variety of different fields.
Community engagement at umoja village
Our goal is to develop the youth and that is impossible to do without taking a deeper look into the communities that they live in.
Umoja Village is an outdoor community space that was built for and by the community. In 2022, Umoja Debate
League purchased 3 blighted lots and built what is now Umoja Village.
Umoja Village is a space that features a community
garden, art, a free little library, and a stage for the community to hold meetings/children to debate. We use Umoja
Village as a space to teach the youth about getting involved and being the change, you want to see in your
community.