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Inaugural Debate And Leadership Institute a Success for Students

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by Bill of Rights Institute on

Last month, the Bill of Rights Institute and Founding Forward partnered to host 48 high school students from 17 states for the inaugural Debate and Leadership Institute (DLI).  

The 5-day program, held in in Valley Forge, Pa., helps students build debate skills while learning about and embracing civic responsibility. 

DLI is designed to equip students with real-world skills to engage in civil discourse inside and outside the classroom. By the end of the program, students walked away with a well-rounded grasp of debate and leadership, including: 

        A Massachusetts student who participated in DLI said, “It helped equip me with the strategies for having challenging conversations in my community because it brought together people from all different types of backgrounds.” 

        Students participated in rigorous debate exercises to build essential skills and participated in extracurricular, reflective activities to help them embrace our nation’s history and recognize their civic responsibilities.  

        Those activities included a walking tour of Philadelphia and visits to sites such as Independence Square, the National Liberty Museum, and the National Constitution Center. Students also watched a live portrayal of founders Thomas Jefferson and John Adams engaging in correspondence and debate. 

        The group also toured Valley Forge National Historical Park and participated in philosophical discussions on the meaning and importance of debate, John Stuart Mill’s 1859 essay “On Liberty,” and the responsibilities of citizenship in civic life. 

        DLI concluded with a competitive debate tournament at the Union League of Philadelphia—a historic private club founded in 1862—where students debated the question, “Has Congress ceded too much power to the executive branch?”  

        A student from Pennsylvania said, “I learned a lot more about how to see a topic from more than one perspective. Beforehand, I rarely had to prepare an argument in detail from both perspectives, but gained lots of experience doing that here.” 

        Students also competed before distinguished panels of judges with expertise in law, business, education, technology, real estate, and civic leadership: 

        Dr. Alaine Arnott, President and CEO of the National Liberty Museum; Robert Cosgrove, Executive Partner at Wade Clark Mulcahy LLP; Chris Cannataro, Associate at Abrams & Bayliss; Paul Snitzer, General Counsel at Prudent Management Associates; Steve Arrivello, Philadelphia Originations Leader at PACE Equity; Shanna McCann, Partner at Chance & McCann; J.R. Benning, Director of Software Development & Engineering at Comcast; Retired U.S. Army Maj. Gerald Gangaram, BRI’s Vice President of Civic Leadership Development.

        Debates were scored to determine a champion team from each house. This year’s champions included: 

        Hamilton House: Ryan Z. (NY) and Ever R. (CA) 

        Washington House: Joseph S. (CA) and Claire F. (PA) 

        Adams House: Adrian M. (CA) and Mary M. (RI) 

        When asked what they would say to a peer considering attending DLI, one student from Utah said, “It truly makes you a different person and teaches you so many things that are vital to life in all of its aspects.”