The Richmond Forum Speech & Debate Initiative (RFSDI) is proud to celebrate National Speech and Debate Education Day today, March 1, 2024.

National Speech and Debate Education Day was created by the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) to recognize and celebrate the positive impact of speech and debate activities on students, schools, and communities. The NSDA is the largest interscholastic organization servicing middle school, high school, and collegiate students in the United States. Today, there are more than 2 million speech and debate alumni celebrating speech and debate education nationwide.

“Speech and debate changes lives,” said J. Scott Wunn, Executive Director of the National Speech & Debate Association. “From increased attendance to higher test scores and a rise in college acceptance, speech and debate prepares young people for college, the workforce, and beyond.”

In 2018, recognizing the absence of competitive speech and debate programs — as well as inadequate funding — in local public schools, The Richmond Forum launched RFSDI to implement, grow, and support these essential programs in all the region’s middle and high schools. 

In just five years, the initiative has grown from nine to 29 teams in five K-12 districts, trained dozens of coaches, and more than tripled student involvement in speech and debate in the Richmond region.

We are incredibly proud of the work the school districts, teachers/coaches, and students have invested to date, but we need your support to reach our goal of having competitive speech and debate teams at all our region’s public middle and high schools by 2025.

In honor of National Speech & Debate Education Day, we invite you to make a gift to support RFSDI’s mission. Your generous contribution will help cover tournament entry fees and travel expenses, train coaches and judges, outfit students with professional clothing, support the organization of local tournaments, and much more.