SVUDL Helped Me Develop a Sense of Empathy
“You can't participate in Speech and Debate without public speaking. SVUDL has helped me become confident in knowing how to express myself,” says Eli Obero, a graduating senior at Independence High School. The skills Eli has acquired through SVUDL extend well beyond a Speech and Debate round. Public speaking is foundational, but the deeper impact has been intellectual. “The depth of research and learning that goes into the topics we work on within SVUDL is one of the most impactful aspects for me. It has helped me conceptualize the world differently than what is normally taught in school. We examine other ways of viewing the world, the dynamics of power, and how history plays out.”
Some of that history is the kind that rarely makes it into textbooks. “Debate has exposed me to sources, histories and perspectives that have been ignored, forgotten, oppressed, and erased. Facilitating arguments around these issues enabled me to have a deeper understanding of people in this country and the world who haven’t been treated fairly, and how we might work to rectify that. SVUDL has helped me develop a sense of empathy and to ask how we rectify the injustices in whatever relevant matter we are debating.”
That empathy has sharpened his ambitions. Eli arrived at Independence High with a vague idea of pursuing law or government. SVUDL turned that instinct into a direction. “SVUDL shaped my goals by clarifying what I want to do. I have done real research into these fields and explored the information vital to those roles. Now I can more fully understand what being in those jobs is actually like and what I’m truly interested in pursuing.”
Looking back, Eli sees SVUDL’s influence running through nearly everything about who he’s becoming. “I have become more confident and assertive in my ideas and how I express them. Through exploring different critical viewpoints and methods to address injustice, I have changed as a person and as a citizen. Ultimately, it can enable everyone to think about how we can strive to rectify past and current injustices.”
