Help a Public High School! Become a Debate Judge!

For struggling public schools around the country, people look for a way to make a difference. Judging a debate is one IMMEDIATE, TANGIBLE, EASY way to make a difference in the educational life of a young person. Students who are members of emerging debate teams need your help. To compete, they must have judges at the tournaments they attend. These adults, be they teachers, parents, college students, or community members, listen to arguments and give debaters feedback on their performance. It is in many ways, a revolutionary experience for both parties. High school students, used to directed instruction and tests, get a chance to voice their opinion and guide their own learning. Adults get individualized interactions with kids and a chance to help them develop their speaking, critical thinking, and organizational skills.

Training Workshops Available

The Jersey Urban Debate League will begin training workshops on Wednesdays prior to its tournaments starting at 6:30. Training sessions usually last about one and a half hours, but we are flexible. Judges attend Saturday tournaments, listen to high school students engage in sophisticated discussions of this year's national debate topic (dealing with mental health), evaluate rounds of debate, and get compensation for their efforts. If you are unable to attend the workshop, but would still like to judge, special arrangements can be made. If interested, please email us at judges@judl.org, or simply fill out our on-line judge form.

Judges learn:

the format of a competitive policy debate (time limits, speech order)
the specialized jargon debaters might use (topicality, disad, kritik, etc.)
to take notes in a debate to make a good decision
to justify a decision, including how to complete a debate ballot
to discuss a round of debate afterwards with students
common arguments on this year's topic
to be prepared for common scenarios for what might happen in a debate
Judges will watch, judge, and discuss a sample debate.

By the end of the workshop, judges will be ready to judge at a tournament!