About the Refugee Debate League

Founded in fall 2022, the Refugee Debate League is a joint initiative of the University of Utah Department of Communication and the John R. Park Debate Society. The program was created to extend the university’s community outreach and to provide community-engaged learning for undergraduate and graduate students.

Recognizing Salt Lake City’s vibrant refugee community, the League seeks to empower marginalized voices by providing accessible, enriching educational opportunities through debate.

 

Our Mission

We believe debate is more than just argument—it's a pathway to confidence, self-expression, and academic success.
Our mission is to:

• Provide free debate instruction to refugee youth in Salt Lake City

• Offer free college credit, scholarships, and opportunities for competition on the University of Utah campus

• Foster critical thinking, English language development, and civic engagement

Classes are held weekly during the fall semester, in partnership with the Salt Lake Refugee Services Office (Utah Department of Workforce Services), which helps with recruitment and provides accessible locations for learning.

 

Why Debate?

The debate society believes that debate instruction is a unique pedagogical practice in which students have the ability to explore their own beliefs and build confidence in themselves and the refine the skills for presentation of those beliefs. In fact, academic debating has demonstrated the ability to substantially improve the academic performance, college success, and career outcomes for its participants. Research shows that debate can be transformative and articipation in debate has been linked to impressive outcomes. According to the National Association of Urban Debate Leagues students who [articip:

• 70% more likely to graduate than non-debaters

• 3 times less likely to drop out

• 70% more likely to meet ACT College Ready reading benchmarks

• 25% higher scores on college-level literacy tests

• 75% of debate participants go on to attend four-year colleges

Debate education directly supports the goals of the Salt Lake Refugee Services office and Department of Workforce Services as well, as they focus on expanding educational opportunities that can assist the community in the process of resettlement. They emphasize the importance of teaching skills that can lead to family- sustaining employment and programs that can help will English language skill training. Debate education enhances a variety of essential skills that can positively impact students’ self-esteem and critical thinking. The debate society is committed to expanding the impact of debate to students of all backgrounds and the Refugee Debate League is one way to do so.

 

Get Involved

Are you a student, educator, refugee youth, or community member interested in joining or supporting the Refugee Debate League?
Please contact us.