VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES AT SVUDL
Help youth find the power of the voice.
SVUDL empowers Silicon Valley students - regardless of race or socioeconomic status - to reach their full potential through speech and debate. no matter how you choose to serve, we can use your passion and experience to enrich our community. Together, we empower to develop skills in critical thinking, communication, and argumentation that will serve them for life.
Volunteer Roles
Each of our schools has a different online practice schedule. Assistants help our coachesto teach key concepts that both beginning and advanced students need for competitive success. They judge practice rounds, and help students practice public speaking and argument construction. They help us build a community of learning at each of our partner schools!
Here is a calendar of virtual tournaments. At each tournament, we need judges! Judges volunteer their time to decide preliminary and elimination rounds at tournaments sponsored by SVUDL or partner leagues. These are typically held on the weekend and last 1-2 days. Judges can sign up to judge one round, one day, or a whole weekend, depending on their schedule. They help us to grow our students’ skills in a constructive competitive environment alongside members of other high schools from throughout California and the nation.
We announce specialist lectures and skill building sessions to our partner schools and students periodically, and only need a two-week period prior to the proposal of a workshop to advertise it at our partner schools. We have held forums with members of the legal and business community, invited college students and former competitors to lecture on various styles and topics of argumentation, and invited professors to lecture our students on the academic topics intersecting with Speech and Debate.
The logistics of running a major tournament require a team effort. Student volunteers with administrative skills and are able to help us with tournament organization and administration.
