This past season, we ran a pilot volunteer program where we paired eight experienced high school debaters with seven school clubs.

As part of the program, the mentors could also apply to participate in an additional pilot program - SEDA Abroad.  As part of SEDA Abroad, the qualified mentors would receive elite debate coaching in World School's debate.

We would like to thank Wendy James (SEDA Alumni and former Team Canada Coach) for volunteering her time as a coach. We would also like to thank Rafay Ahmed, who was hired as a Special Projects Coordinator to handle the administrative logistics of this program. 

Both mentors and coaches reported that the support provided to clubs was beneficial. A new debate coach communicated to us that “after the program started, we had much success in getting and retaining students […] It was obvious to students that they were getting taught how to debate from someone very skilled, and they were eager to learn and compete in tournaments.”

During the summer, we will be evaluating this program to determine the ongoing sustainability of this program.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this pilot program!