The 2010 University of Pennsylvania Liberty Bell Classic is organized and managed by Penn for Youth Debate.  

What is Penn for Youth Debate?

Penn for Youth Debate is a student organization at Penn dedicated to promoting debate in the greater Philadelphia region and encouraging former forensics competitors to give back to the activity that gave us so much.  Forensics is one of the most meaningful activities that students can participate in during high school.  It teaches critical thinking, persuasive speaking, along with reading and writing ability.  There are many Penn students who have benefited from their involvement in forensics and wish to give that same opportunity to others.  Yet there are many high schools that lack forensics teams or have limited resources available to dedicate to forensics activities.  Penn for Youth Debate brings former forensics competitors together to provide opportunities to teach debate and help debate programs become immersed in the world of debate, providing an outlet for former forensics students to give back, while assisting new students enter the world of forensics.

What does Penn for Youth Debate do?

Penn for Youth Debate has several activities.  Our main project is to provide volunteer debate coaches to work in Perspectives Debate Incorporated affiliated schools to help start debate teams.  Last year, Penn for Youth Debate members worked in 15 different Philadelphia public and charter schools, introducing debate to students who would otherwise never have the opportunity to participate in this incredible activity.  Penn for Youth Debate also hosts a winter debate workshop in Philadelphia to introduce novice students to debate halfway through the season and prepare varsity competitors for the January/February LD topic.  This is an opportunity available to every student interested in participating from Philadelphia and beyond.  You can ask Penn for Youth Debate members about the camp at the LBC.  Finally, Penn for Youth Debate hosts debate competitions.  Beyond the LBC, Penn for Youth Debate hosts a free fall debate tournament strictly for students from Philadelphia.

Why does this matter?

First, because Penn for Youth Debate is run by former forensics students and those dedicated to forensics education, it is a guarantee to you that our tournament will be managed by qualified individuals.  You will see many high school forensics alumni assisting the tournament in judging rounds, collecting ballots and telling participants about the University of Pennsylvania as a school.  This bond between those running the LBC and the high school forensics community showed itself in last year’s tournament and will be even more apparent this year as the 2010 tournament directors and all others assisting in the tournament are very excited about the opportunity.  Second, all proceeds from the LBC go directly to Penn for Youth Debate and its volunteer activities.  While running the LBC is an end in itself for Penn for Youth Debate, any profits made from the tournament will assist the organization in providing debate education to students in the greater Philadelphia region.