Hello,
Because you are a supporter of the BAUDL, I wanted to let you know how we are responding to the COVID-19 crisis.
Our top priorities are taking care of our students and staff:
· Students: We are celebrating the yearlong achievements of our hardworking debaters, particularly the seniors who missed out on important end of the year tournaments like the BAUDL league championships and the Urban Debate National Championships. We will be featuring one of our schools each week on the Bay Area Urban Debate League Facebook page and are creating a virtual alternative to our traditional end of the year student awards dinner.
We are already starting to work with returning students on the debate topic for next year, which is “Resolved: The United States federal government should enact substantial criminal justice reform in the United States in one or more of the following: forensic science, policing, sentencing.” Students will begin their research by learning about police body cameras, the school to prison pipeline, and immigration enforcement.
Finally, we are making sure that students will be able to access and participate in online debate learning and competition. Almost all summer debate camps have already fully transitioned to an online camp model and many future tournaments will be hosted online to deal with continuing uncertainty. Many of our students lack sufficient internet and computer resources so we are developing a technological infrastructure to make sure that they don’t get left behind in a world where distance learning and competing will be more common.
· Staff: All of our staff have been working from home and will continue to do so until shelter in place requirements have been lifted and there is clarity on the safety of returning to our office. We are committed to keeping all staff on at full pay and benefits.
While our fundraising needs remain unchanged, our fundraising opportunities have dramatically diminished because we are heavily reliant on in-person events. We have postponed our Gala Awards Dinner and Champions of Diversity fundraising events until it is safe to have social gatherings. We look forward to seeing you again then. In the meantime if you would like to help us weather the current storm until our operations return to normal, we would greatly appreciate your help.
We look forward to seeing you again when the coast is clear.
Donations can be made here:
Because you are a supporter of the BAUDL, I wanted to let you know how we are responding to the COVID-19 crisis.
Our top priorities are taking care of our students and staff:
· Students: We are celebrating the yearlong achievements of our hardworking debaters, particularly the seniors who missed out on important end of the year tournaments like the BAUDL league championships and the Urban Debate National Championships. We will be featuring one of our schools each week on the Bay Area Urban Debate League Facebook page and are creating a virtual alternative to our traditional end of the year student awards dinner.
We are already starting to work with returning students on the debate topic for next year, which is “Resolved: The United States federal government should enact substantial criminal justice reform in the United States in one or more of the following: forensic science, policing, sentencing.” Students will begin their research by learning about police body cameras, the school to prison pipeline, and immigration enforcement.
Finally, we are making sure that students will be able to access and participate in online debate learning and competition. Almost all summer debate camps have already fully transitioned to an online camp model and many future tournaments will be hosted online to deal with continuing uncertainty. Many of our students lack sufficient internet and computer resources so we are developing a technological infrastructure to make sure that they don’t get left behind in a world where distance learning and competing will be more common.
· Staff: All of our staff have been working from home and will continue to do so until shelter in place requirements have been lifted and there is clarity on the safety of returning to our office. We are committed to keeping all staff on at full pay and benefits.
While our fundraising needs remain unchanged, our fundraising opportunities have dramatically diminished because we are heavily reliant on in-person events. We have postponed our Gala Awards Dinner and Champions of Diversity fundraising events until it is safe to have social gatherings. We look forward to seeing you again then. In the meantime if you would like to help us weather the current storm until our operations return to normal, we would greatly appreciate your help.
We look forward to seeing you again when the coast is clear.
Donations can be made here: