OUR MISSION
Our Team
Since our launch, we have built a team of over 75 debaters from underprivileged backgrounds. We have worked with three Boys and Girls Clubs and one high school to find students interested in debate. These students have shown a passion for debate, but their families do not have the means to fund their endeavors; this is where Socratic has stepped in. We pay for all of their costs as debaters, including coaching, transportation, and competition fees. Our team has grown over the years; starting as a select group of only 20 students, we have now grown to over 75 strong!
Every spring, we select the most promising few from our team and pay for them to attend debate camp over the summer—a two-week immersive program where the students spend all of their waking hours learning and practicing their debate skills. These camps can be very expensive—over four thousand dollars per student—and that is where much of the income from our paid courses goes. We are excited to start a new team in Washington, D.C., to invite even more students to learn and participate in debate!
Non Profit
Socratic Speaking Academy aims to democratize access to high school speech and debate, allowing students, especially from lower socio-economic backgrounds, an opportunity to gain a headstart on their public speaking in preparation for a lifetime of civic participation and meaningful political discourse. We have worked with industry experts to craft a curriculum that is guaranteed to help students succeed. We long for a speech and debate community that is equitable, in which financial barriers to entry are removed, and resources are accessible to all students regardless of their background.
Debate education is incredibly important. A new study by Mark Kantrowitz, decorated author, found that SAT and ACT tests discriminate against low-income, minority, and female students in college admissions at selective colleges, as students with a family income of $100,000 or more are more than twice as likely as students with family income under $50,000 to have combined SAT test scores of 1400 to 1600. An accessible debate program be the antidote to this discrepancy, helping low-income students to gain leaps and bounds within the verbal section.
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We have applied and now are awaiting 501c3 status which will officially make us a nonprofit organization. We truly believe in the success and progress of our students and all children in the world. That is why we have made it a goal to donate all of the money that we make to children who really need it. SSA donates money to provide help for debate programs that need funding to survive, and we help promote interest in debate in communities that do not have it.
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