Bellevue Youth Debate
Teaching students public speaking skills.
Empowering students with self-confidence.
Engaging students in thoughtful, policy-oriented conversations.
About
We take middle and high school students of varying experience levels, meeting them where they are with quality instruction. Additionally, our goal is to make debate as accessible as possible. To that end, we offer our lessons for FREE.
Our middle and high school debaters have over 100 placements at national and WA state tournaments, including NSDA Nationals, TOC Nationals, NOF Nationals, the Washington State Championship, and the Pacific Northwest Debate League. A full list of our tournament results can be found by clicking "Awards" below.
For more information on our programs, schedules, and locations, please click "Programs" below. The mission statement and coach profiles can be found under "Staff."
If you have any questions, please reach out to general@bellevueyouthdebate.org.
Testimonials
"My experience with Bellevue Youth Debate these past 2 years has been incredible. Through both Parlimentary and Lincoln-Douglas debate, I was able to challenge myself and build so many different strengths such as speaking confidently, creating strong arguments, critical thinking skills, and more. Not only is it enriching, but the bonds you will make with not only your teammates but also your coaches is incredibly rewarding."
"My experience with BYD over the last year has been incredible. The coaches are so dedicated to supporting us and making our debate journey the best it could possibly be. Through BYD I have gained knowledge and skills that I wouldn't have encountered anywhere else. As my debate journey continues I'm excited to have the coaches by my side, knowing that I will continue to be inspired and challenged."
"My experience at BYD has been undeniably one the best ones in terms of extracurricular activities. It helped me step out of my comfort zone, build character, and ultimately changed who I was as a person overall. I have become much more confident, direct, and have felt better about myself as an individual. Thanks, BYD!"
"My experience at BYD has been amazing. Since joining, I have improved so much as a debater and have cultivated public speaking and critical thinking skills that will help me throughout life. The coaching staff is also incredibly supportive and helps with any questions that I have."
"My experience at BYD over the past year in a half has been an amazing, the coaches are very dedicated and helpful when helping the students, through BYD I have learned many skills and gained knowledge that I wouldn't have learned anywhere else. "
"It's been so much fun socializing and experiencing things with my peers. The things the coaches teach helped me improve so much."
"It has been really fun and educational. I have learned a lot about both Parli and LD debate that I most likely couldn't have learned outside of BYD. Also, the coaching staff is very knowledgeable about debate and fun to be around."
"My experience at BYD has been amazing. I started completely new to debate and the coaches here really helped me learn all the skills I needed and more. This program has helped me with my argument skills, public speaking and the ability to do good research."
"It was very easy to get into and there is quick improvement in debate. Apart from formal debates, other skills like logical arguments and persuasion are also developed. Both the coaches and other members are also very considerate."
"Bellevue Youth Debate has an amazing learning curriculum. They teach in a fast but understandable way. There are plenty of opportunities for practice."
"BYD has taught me public speaking, critical thinking, and argumentation skills. It has changed me from a quiet and uncertain person, into a confident speaker who can communicate clearly. My journey at BYD has been incredibly rewarding, and with the support I get, I will continue to grow, one step at a time."
"Bellevue Youth Debate has taught me many new concepts I didn't know before. The coaches always try to push you to become better and are there for you when you are confused."
"My experience in BYD was amazing, the coaches give feedback and the feedback makes me improve A LOT. The community is also great everyone is super friendly."
"My experience at BYD has been pretty good, BYD has helped me a lot for improving my debate skills with just general arguments to presentation and also argument quality. BYD has also helped me learn LD easily so that I can understand."
"I've felt really included in BYD, and constructive feedback from supportive coaches has helped me to grow as a debater. Coaches also helped me through difficult lectures, inviting all members to ask questions whenever they need to."
"It's very fun. You get to go to a ton of tournaments and win awards. Everyone is very supportive. :)"
"BYD offers a wonderful opportunity for Middle Schoolers who have never experienced or are new to debate. In this program we learn various debate structure and formatting of different debate styles, this includes Parliamentary debate and LD (1V1 debate)."
"BYD’s an amazing place for middle schoolers to learn parliamentary and Lincoln-Douglas debate. Very competitive too!"
"BYD has been so fun for me. The program let me meet new people with my interests and learn all about the different types of debate. The kind and accepting coaches here at Bellevue Youth have helped me grow in debate and so many other areas of life. I wouldn't choose any other organization and am happy to be part of the program."