Speech And Debate Canada Foundation

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Speech And Debate Canada Foundation

Speech and Debate Canada is a national not-for-profit organization that brings debate clubs to Canadian youth.

09/30/2026

September 30th, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, is a day to listen.

At S&DCF, we believe in the power of voice. But we also know that hearing requires silence, and that genuine civic engagement begins with understanding history honestly.

To every Indigenous student, family, and community: we see you.

And in the spirit of reconciliation, the S&DCF is building bridges with several organizations as part of call to action items 63 (building student capacity for mutual respect) and 92 (ensuring equitable access to education opportunities) of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

This includes developing a new style of debate specifically designed to fit with the unique heritage of Indigenous populations and the Consensus Government System in the Territories!

We'd like to take this opportunity to also thank our partners at and Connect North for the work they do in bringing our worlds together and making sure every child has a voice 🧡

📸 Credit: Chelsea Kemp/CBC

09/28/2026

One month into the school year. How's your student doing?

September's almost done. Some kids are getting back into the flow of things, making new friends, building confidence, and diving into the energy of the classroom.

Some are still finding their footing.

If your student is the kind who has a lot to say but isn't sure how to say it, or who's looking for a community that values ideas and curiosity, maybe a debate club could be just what they need!

🔗 Find out more at the link in bio. We'd love to help them build confidence and make great memories this school year 💙

09/26/2026

Clint Smith’s The Danger of Silence is a powerful reminder that finding your voice is about more than simply speaking, it’s about recognizing when your voice matters.

What stood out most was how Smith connects silence with the responsibility to speak up, especially when something needs to be challenged.

Good communication isn’t just about having something to say; it’s also about having the courage to say it.

To watch the full video, head to: https://www.ted.com/talks/clint_smith_the_danger_of_silence

09/23/2026

The news isn't neutral. And neither is your brain when you see it.

So here's a quick framework we teach in debate. It's 5 filters that turn your passive scrolling into active thinking.

1️⃣ Read the article 📰 , not just the headline
2️⃣ Find the primary source 🖇️
3️⃣ Ask whose voice 🙊 is missing
4️⃣ Watch the language 🗣️: "scientists say" does not mean the same thing as "one study suggests"
5️⃣ Sit with uncertainty 🪑. Not everything has a clean and clear answer, but thinking it through is always better than not.

📸 Cemrecan Yurtman on

09/21/2026

One summer, endless impact!

Applications are open for Shad 2027, Canada's leading pre-university STEAM and entrepreneurship program for ambitious high school students.

At Shad Program, students tackle hands-on challenges, collaborate with curious minds from across the country, and discover what they can create when encouraged to think innovatively.

Applications are now open for students in Grades 10 and 11. Apply by November 8, 2026 to get your offer early and secure one of your top 10 campus choices.

Final deadline: January 6, 2027 at 11:59 PM ET.

Explore the program and application details at shad.ca/apply and start your application today!

09/19/2026

You’ve just donated. Now what? Here’s a look at what a donation to Speech and Debate Canada Foundation actually funds.

It’s more than a donation to a program. It helps make debate accessible to students who might not otherwise have the opportunity.

Donations can support things like debate workshops, educational resources, tournaments, coach and instructor development, and programming for schools and communities. They help create spaces where students can practice speaking up, thinking critically, researching issues, and engaging with perspectives different from their own.

In simple terms: your donation helps put debate opportunities in front of more students and gives them the tools to make their voices heard.

09/16/2026

Are you one of the curious?

Debate doesn't just build skills. It builds people.

People who graduate from school and often pursue post-secondary education to foster further learning, connections, and experiences.

Scholarships are powerful vehicles to make post-secondary education more achievable, which is why we're highlighting the Wolf Scholars Program at the University of Toronto as one worth knowing about!

Each year, this program selects 16 exceptional incoming undergraduates from the University of Toronto's Faculty of Arts & Science and Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. They'll form a tight-knit cohort and, over four years, Scholars will engage in an enrichment program designed to further sharpen their critical thinking skills, foster their intellectual curiosity across disciplines, and prepare them to tackle the challenges facing their generation.

Beyond funded travel and leadership development experiences, Scholars will receive a full tuition scholarship and a meaningful living stipend.

Want to learn more? Visit the official Wolf Scholars website: https://www.wolfscholars.com/apply

⏰ Note: November 2, 2026, 11:59 AM ET is the application deadline for those beginning post-secondary in 2027!

09/12/2026

One of the hardest things to learn in debate is that you won’t always get to argue what you believe.

You might strongly disagree with a motion, only to find yourself defending it five minutes later. At first, that can feel frustrating. But learning to argue both sides is one of the most valuable skills debate can teach you. It forces you to step outside of your own perspective.

When you prepare both sides of an argument, you start noticing things you might have missed before. You learn why someone could reasonably disagree with you. You begin to anticipate counterarguments instead of being surprised by them. And, perhaps most importantly, you become better at separating “I disagree with this” from “I don’t understand this.”

A strong debater isn’t someone who can make their own argument sound convincing. They’re someone who understands the other side well enough to challenge it properly.

Arguing both sides also makes you less attached to being right. You become more willing to change your mind when the evidence calls for it, and more comfortable sitting with complicated questions that don’t have an obvious answer, and that’s a skill thats valuable even outside the debate room.

Whether you’re discussing politics with a friend, working through a disagreement in class, or making a decision at work, being able to see multiple sides helps you listen before responding and think before taking a position.

09/09/2026

Welcome to a new season! 🏫 🎉

The fall program is officially open and we couldn't be more excited to welcome this year's cohort.

To every student joining us this season, you made a great choice (though we might be a bit biased in saying so).

It's a great choice not because debate is easy, but because it isn't.

You're going to be challenged.
You're going to argue positions you disagree with.
You're going to lose rounds.
And then you're going to come back sharper, clearer, and more confident than before.

That's the deal. And it's worth it every time.

Welcome to the S&DCF. Now let's get to work! 💙

Address

3080 Yonge Street/Suite 4070
Toronto, ON
M4N3N1

Website

https://www.speechanddebatecanada.com/about

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