ASAP/After School Activities Partnerships was created in 2002 at the request of city leaders to bring public awareness to the dangers of the afternoon hours for unsupervised youth in Philadelphia. ASAP’s mission is to develop and support high-quality after school activities and resources to empower youth and strengthen communities in Philadelphia.
ASAP Debate helps under-resourced schools engage middle and high school youth (grades 5-12) in rigorous out-of-school time programming designed to develop skills that are essential to classroom and post-secondary success and foster a sense of achievement and belonging among participants. Since taking over the Philadelphia Scholastic Debate League in 2006, ASAP has grown the number of debate programs from five high schools to 45 middle schools, high schools, and community centers in 2019. Looking forward, ASAP Debate endeavors to build on this success and provide youth in Philadelphia the same opportunities as their suburban and private school peers to develop key critical thinking and public speaking skills.
The Debate Coordinator will works alongside the Debate Manager to support the expansion of ASAP Debate and provide more opportunities for young leaders to find their voice and speak their mind on key issues. This includes building new school partnerships, recruiting and training adult debate club leaders, and fostering a sense of community among student debaters.
Summary of Duties:
– Work with the School District of Philadelphia to promote ASAP Debate to priority schools and communities.
– Recruit and support training for new ASAP Debate coaches.
– Assist with the planning and leadership of after school and weekend debate tournaments, including the Philadelphia Scholastic Debate League, monthly middle school tournaments, and regional weekend competitions.
– Support Debate Coaches through phone calls and emails, a weekly e-newsletter, and periodic site visits.
– Manage special projects, including the high school debate mentor program which matches high school debate students with middle school ASAP Debate clubs.
– Recruit youth to attend the annual ASAP Summer Debate Academy.
– Collect and analyze student- and club-level data to measure the program’s impact.
– Contribute to overall organizational goals through participation on ASAP’s internal staff committees.