History
The league was started in 1999 by a grant from the Fund for Educational Excellence in collaboration with George Soros' Open Society Institute. Only 8 high schools and 90 students participated in the first year. Since then the program has expanded to over 35 high schools, 21 middle schools, and numerous students across Baltimore City. Related Debate League programs have also been created across the Unite States in response to the success of BUDL. The funding has also expanded to include Towson University, Morgan State University, and the Barkley Forum. Many students in the league have gone on to compete in national and international tournaments held by other debate leagues and associations.
Also, in the 2005-2006 season, BUDL successfully incorporated the high school debate model into several middle schools around the city. Middle school students are able to take advantage of many of the opportunities afforded to high school debaters, including the opportunity to go to their very own debate camp called "B'More Debate" in order to improve their debate skills and to encourage continued participation in BUDL. The middle school camp happens during the summer months and has a very similar format to BUDL's high school camp, and is held at Towson University.
Read more about this topic: Baltimore Urban Debate League
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