Project Title: Melrose High Debate Club

Elevator Pitch
We are a group of open-minded students hoping to create an environment for students to be able
to exchange their ideas and listen to the many different opinions of others. In order to accomplish
this goal, we need a platform where the community is able to respectfully engage in thoughtful
discourse. Civil discourse is necessary in maintaining a healthy democracy, and we believe that
with this grant we can foster an environment of respectful debate.

Summary
Our proposal is characterized by our overall mission as a club - to increase civic awareness,
education, and engagement. As students, we see a growing need for an environment where topical
issues can be discussed and debated openly, in an effort to promote a more complex
understanding of issues involving many perspectives. Without such a medium for engagement
with other ideas and perspectives, today’s complex and divisive world poses an enormous
challenge to students’ civic development and ability to objectively understand different issues.

Project Narrative
Background Information: The Debate Club at Melrose High School has operated
with an emphasis on capturing an environment in which students can discuss and
respectfully debate important issues in order to strengthen their understanding of
topical issues and the perspectives involved. In Melrose High School, we worked to
open our club doors to anyone interested in discussing important issues, regardless of
whether they were actively a part of the club or not, in order to achieve the most
nuanced conversation and debate possible. To some people, our club provided a
structured outlet for engaging with and learning about different perspectives in an
issue. Especially as these students begin to engage with the intimidating world of
civics and other institutions, our environment has been critical to their development as
citizens. With this record, we seek to expand our impact and utilize more resources in
order to promote a bigger and more integrated cause in the Melrose community.
Statement of Need: There is a very real void in the school, and Melrose community as a
whole, of an open forum that provides individuals the opportunity to share their opinions
regardless of their political leaning. Existing similar groups are almost always centered
around a specific focus, such as a book club. To add to that, high school organizations
such as Model UN and most traditional debate clubs operate to win debates in a
 systematic format, while not honestly trying to understand and represent all perspectives
in an issue. A place that is centered around thoughtful and respectful debate would be a
great asset in the Melrose school community.
Goals: We seek to provide students with a supportive forum for understanding ideas that
may not initially agree with, and examining their own opinions with input from others.
The goal is to ensure that students can hear many perspectives on all kinds of issues to
become better informed and well-rounded citizens.
Objectives: We want to develop a community that is engaged in civic duty. This helps to
create responsible citizens and voters of the future.
Sustainability: Having a platform is very important to be able to provide
information to others. Once we have this platform we, and the students that
follow, will be able to continue to encourage an open discussion between one
another.

Budget Requirement/Requests:

Item Cost

Resources (Books, posters, educational

materials)

Total $5,000.00

Potential Pitfalls/Limitations:
One potential issue could be a lack of interest from some students. Some may not readily sign up
for what we want to do. This can be countered by reaching out to the community first, to ensure
that the first impression is in our control and as positive as possible.