Selective Volunteer & Leadership Program

Eloquence Academy currently offers a year-round volunteer and leadership program. Volunteers form a tight knit community as a powerful group of high-achieving students with a passion for educational equity. They promote debate accessibility, learn about nonprofit operations, and hone their leadership skills. They support the organization’s mission by coaching debate classes, judging debate tournaments, staffing online events, and organizing local fundraisers. In other words, volunteers make debate possible.

The first step in your volunteer journey is to fill out our pre-screening form as linked below. Be authentic and tell us about your background/interests that bode well for this opportunity. We look forward to hearing from you!

Image: a volunteer proudly displays their President’s Volunteer Service Award!

Volunteer Role Breakdown

Regional Director

  • oversee a region of 10-15 volunteers (organize meetings, approve service hours, etc.)

  • institute local programming, including classes and seminars

  • outreach to NGOs, nonprofits and secondary schools

  • apply for grants from regional foundations or local chapters of national organizations

  • host fundraisers, aiming to raise $500-$750 for Eloquence Academy each year

  • submit a year-end final report with a full volunteer list, images, impact stats, and reflection questions

Program Instructor

  • coach students in-person and online based on provided Eloquence curriculum

  • judge at weekend debate tournaments and provide written/oral feedback to students

  • report to Eloquence administrative team on student progress

  • brainstorm novel outreach strategies and program ideas

  • assist with curriculum review

“My role at Eloquence Academy has been incredibly rewarding. Coaching debate classes and organizing various events has enabled me to develop valuable leadership skills and a stronger understanding of nonprofit operations. Being involved in a community committed to promoting educational equity has given me an experience that is both impactful and enjoyable.”

Imad Shaikh

“Over the past year, working with Eloquence Academy has been an amazing opportunity to teach public speaking and debate skills nationwide in historically underserved areas. Working with these students has reaffirmed my belief in the strength and importance of helping students develop research, critical thinking, and speaking skills. Like many of the students I work with, I grew up in a rural area that lacked access to many of the resources that other students may find ubiquitous. Giving these students access to the resources I wished I had during my secondary education has been an incredibly rewarding experience.”

Kira Waldhalm

“Volunteering with Eloquence Academy has given me the opportunity to help the next generation of debaters. The students are so funny and intelligent that I always have a great time with them. By explaining concepts and conducting activities, I refreshed my knowledge of debate fundamentals and gained valuable experience in working with others. Overall, I recommend everyone interested in speech and debate to join Eloquence as a student or a volunteer!”

Shakthi Prabhakaran

FAQs

When will I hear back?

You will receive an application decision within 3 business days. If you do not receive a decision after a week, please contact us.

Who are we looking for?

Motivated, engaged youth who demonstrate a passion for debate, educational equity, and Eloquence’s mission throughout their application.

What is the acceptance rate?

We cannot provide an exact figure. Note that the program is selective; Eloquence receives hundreds of qualified applications each year.

Are there any requirements to apply?

Debate experience is not required. Applicants for Regional Director must have at least a 3.25 GPA as we expect students to have a strong standing in school before taking on additional work.

Who may apply?

The volunteer program is open to all high school students (entering grades 9, 10, 11, or 12) and undergraduate students.

What are the advantages of volunteering?

Become a globally-recognized youth leader! Receive access to our curated resources with curriculum, videos, outreach tool-kits, and more. Volunteers in the United States are eligible to receive the U.S. Presidential Volunteer Service Award as we are a certifying organization.

Write for Us

Your voice is powerful. Eloquence welcomes writers, speakers, and debate alums to compose a piece for our blog. You do not need to be a volunteer to submit your writing!

Content centers around the history of the debate community, the intricacies of national circuit competition, and the impact of speech on change-making. We look for op-eds that are nuanced, detailed, and creative. For each submission:

  • We recommend that authors read prior posts to avoid redundant content and match the length and style.

  • The blog only publishes original pieces.

  • Sources and evidence should be cited where applicable.

  • Please submit your piece by emailing it in Google Docs form to eloquencespeechanddebate@gmail.com

Volunteer Partners

Our volunteer partners include academic institutions, schools, nonprofits, NGOs, professional groups, and corporations. These partners recruit groups of individuals from within their own organizations to:

  • judge at Eloquence tournaments

  • volunteer at special events

  • connect directly with Eloquence debaters

Partner organizations also introduce themselves and their network to the Eloquence community. Their logos are placed on social media posts and banners for the year(s) in which they are partnered with Eloquence.

To become a volunteer partner, please reach out to Spencer at spencer@eloquenceacademy.org