About Us...
USA Youth Debates Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping students serve as ambassadors overseas through participation in the speech and debate process. We are a federally approved 501 (c) 3 organization (EIN 20-0697836) licensed in the state of Florida and part of the Dunn and Bradstreet listings.
None of our staff will take a salary or stipend for our work. The organization is directed by John S. Tredway, a six-diamond key coach in the National Forensic League and former coach at Ashland High School, Oregon. During a period of 1990-2002 Tredway's teams won 10 Oregon high school "large school" state team championships along with many regional and national awards. For its work in building debates with Cuba in January and December of 2000, the organization received an "Innovators In Education" award from Oregon State University.
| USA-CUBA Debates 2000 (click images to enlarge in new window) |
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Welcome to USA Youth Debates, Inc. |
Interview w/ the CBS Early Show (press play to start) |
The organization looks to U.S. embassies overseas in addition to the embassy of the host nation in Washington for assistance in project design. A team from USA Youth Debates Inc. will visit the host nation site at least 5-6 months in advance of the student trip. Discussions will center around venues, itineraries, topics, formats, host families, financing, language application, etc.
While it is always a plus to take students from the USA with speech and debate backgrounds, students from a wide variety of backgrounds are invited to apply. We want our student delegations to look like America and to that extent, the organization seeks help from foundations to assist with the cost of travel.
During a trip overseas, we expect students to apply foreign language learning in a practical setting, learn about foreign relations, engage in speech and debate and serve the United States as an ambassador. As a cultural experience actually staying with host families, our delegations become something more than 'tourists' even though tours of cities are common.
Our program is different from the typical foreign language class trip overseas offered by for-profit companies and even those offered by the State Department.
