March 8, 2022 | By Sayyida Jean-Charles
The BDL strives to maintain learning spaces for the voices of young women. So on this International Women’s Day, we honor our young women debaters.
In a world where young men dominate in the competitive debate circuit, we find that more than half of BDL’s debaters are young women. Through the power of argumentation, the BDL champions our young women to break through the barriers they face in school and in life. Our young women begin their competitive debate careers in the classroom, and apply what they learn to the world beyond debate.
Current BDL debater Xyra Mercer credits debate with helping her improve her self-confidence and how she presents herself in spaces, saying that engaging with debate taught her “to raise [her] voice in any matters [she] sees fit.”
Young women around the world face a multitude of challenges when it comes to being heard, but here at the BDL, young women from all different backgrounds come together to engage in competitive debate and argumentation. Through this activity, they build a spirit of activism and develop the skills to use their voices to make change.