About Us
NextGen Debate is a registered 501(c)(3) that aims to provide accessible forensic education for middle and incoming high schoolers. Based in Lexington, Kentucky, our founders recognized that Kentuckians have had little representation on the national stage from not having the same resources as larger and more respected states. From a young age, nationally competitive debaters have had opportunities to hone their skills and compete, but only two middle schools in Lexington offer speech and debate. NextGen Debate recognizes the importance of forensics education: it teaches civic engagement, collaborate and community, research skills, and ethics. NextGen Debate specializes in online classes to ensure that money and location is not an inhibiting factor in a student’s journey. We aim to provide resources to all students and spread debate across the country.
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NextGen Debate donates all proceeds to the Markey Cancer Center to help fight Kentucky's cancer epidemic. The leading state in lung cancer rates, and the state with the second most colon and pancreatic cancer cases, Kentucky has the highest rate of cancer mortality nationally. We aim to fight barriers that hurt the health of Kentuckians while fighting barriers that hurt our education.
OUR MISSION
NextGen Debate is a nonprofit organization that aims to teach students of all ages and backgrounds how to debate, with focus on public speaking and research skills. We aim to cultivate the next generation of forensic students and leaders with out dedication and passion to debate. We provide accessible education that students of all locations and incomes can access. We offer numerous services such as debate bootcamps, topic and docket seminars, and 1:1 meetings with a variety of resources to educate upcoming debaters. Most importantly, we are committed to service and donate all of our proceeds to the Markey Cancer Center.
Our Values
01
Education
NextGen Debate provides convenient education without sacrificing quality. Out faculty is made of state-ranked and nationally competitive debaters who have put hours into creating an unique curriculum to teach to our students. We aim to cultivate a generation of learners that excell in public speaking and research.
02
Accesibility
NextGen Debate strives to be an available and high quality resource for all forensics students, regardless of location, income, and age. We specialize in virtual resources to reach students nationwide, and price our services over 90% cheaper than other debate camp and forensic services in the United States.
03
Charity
NextGen Debate is a nonprofit organization with zero profit incentives. All proceeds are donated to the Markey Cancer Center due to our founders' commitment to giving back. We host numerous service events to expand medical literacy and resources, as well as providing civics education to benefit our community.
OUR HISTORY
NextGen Debate is based at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington, Kentucky and was founded in 2024. When our founders realized forensic students in Kentucky did not have access to the same resources their nationally competitive counterparts did, they set out to create an organization to provide accessible resources to all students. This led to the creation of NextGen Debate, a nonprofit committed to cultivating the next generation of students that are leaders, civically engaged, community-driven, and high achievers.
Our Founders
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
NextGen Debate proudly hosts a team of committed faculty. We are state-ranked and nationally competitive in debate, as well as having tremendous experience in speech events and other activities that demostrate our commitment to public speaking, mentorship, and research.
