Speech and debate club in hopkington

Mahathi Manikandan, Hopkington, MA

On behalf of Love to Share Foundation America, Mahathi Manikandan, conducted a speech and debate club this summer in her neighborhood to teach children not only to research a topic but also to write about it. The club focused on topics such as:

-Important vocab words in debate

-Writing an opening statement

-Writing and developing arguments

-Writing closing statements

Mahathi is a youth volunteer and middle schooler from Boston, Massachusetts. She also led the debate workshop to teach kids ranging from the ages of 8-10, Some of the issues debated were:

-Should middle schools have recess

-Should schools have more extended lunches

-Should schools start at a later time

Every week, 5-10 kids from Hopkinton would show up at my door eager to learn how to debate against their peers and become more confident with their speaking skills. Thus, the debate club would prepare them for future opportunities at school or speaking tournaments. This summer was my first time getting a chance to discuss a topic I enjoyed learning about. Every week, I had a good or not-so-good experience. Most of these experiences brought learnings with them. For example, when the kids would research a topic, sometimes they would present it very well, and sometimes, they could have been better, but I learned how they brought in different perspectives and what we could do to perfect a skill. Another challenge was the need for more communication, and I was curious if some kids would show up. I learned that if I initiated the contact, we could bridge that lack. My experience with the clubs had its ups and downs; it was one of a kind and something that I purely enjoyed and hope to continue next summer.