My name is Kevin Childress, and I am a Project Coordinator at The Interfaith Center of New York (ICNY). ICNY is seeking Bronx based organizations that would be interested in participating in a free, youth-oriented debate program ICNY is conducting in cooperation with the International Debate Education Association (IDEA) and Open Society Youth Initiative. The program is called “Debate in the Neighborhood,” and will bring together six faith-based youth groups in the Bronx and Queens.
Debate in the Neighborhood began earlier this year with three youth groups in Queens, and has been tremendously successful. You can see a short video about the program here:
http://odysseynetworks.org/video/religion-without-borders. Also, the program has a Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/DebateInTheNeighborhood) and a YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/DebateNeighborhood) that feature videos of the students engaged in various debate games and practices, to give you an idea of what the program is like.
Now we are preparing to launch a new phase of the program by bringing in three youth groups in the Bronx. This new phase will begin in January, and go through May. During the first months, each group of students will meet weekly (after school or possibly on weekends) to practice debate with a trainer from IDEA. During the Spring break, each student will be teamed up with students from the other two groups, and each 3-member team will be assigned a debate topic relating to the subject of “Privacy vs. Surveillance Technologies.” These teams will then meet weekly for continued practice sessions, which will culminate with a public tournament in May, where all the teams will compete, and awards will be given. We will be providing a small stipend to each organization to cover costs for refreshments and transportation during the program.
A brochure with comprehensive information about this program is available here: https://interfaithcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/DiN-Brochure-for-Students-and-Families.pdf. If you believe that the program might be of interest to your youth, please let me know and I would be happy to discuss it with you further. We would also welcome an opportunity to meet with you in person to discuss the program. Participation is limited to three youth groups, so if you are interested, please reply as soon as possible. Thank you.
Best Wishes,
Kevin Childress
Debate in the Neighborhood Program Coordinator
The Interfaith Center of New York
475 Riverside Drive, Suite 540
New York, NY 10115
(212) 870-3510
Email: kevin@interfaithcenter.org
Fax: 212-870-3499
Web: www.interfaithcenter.org
