Debate Mate is a charity that teaches debating in inner-city schools across the UK in areas of high child poverty

Child poverty

Child poverty refers to the phenomenon of children living in poverty. This applies to children that come from poor families or orphans being raised with limited, or in some cases absent, state resources. Children that fail to meet the minimum acceptable standard of life for the nation where that...

, it also runs international programes in various countries including Nepal

Nepal

Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...

, Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

/Palestine

Palestine

Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....

, the UAE and the USA.

History

Debate Mate is a young organisation, having been founded in 2008. However, since then it has expanded rapidly and has worked with over 10,000 young people.

Debate Mate was founded by Margaret McCabe, barrister-at-law.

Debate Mate Core Programe

This program is offered to children in school years 7-10. (Its target age group can be seen below).It is offered in non-selective state schools in areas of high child poverty

Poverty

Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...

• 16 week programme, 1 hour a week after school
• Targeted at years 8-10 (12-15 year old) pupils
• Delivered by university student debaters, trained by Debate Mate
• Includes participation in regional and national tournaments (the Urban Debate League and Debate Mate Cup)
• Serves as a foundation programme for the Onward Learning Programme (see below)
• Currently running in 115 schools in London
  London
  London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
  
   , Birmingham
  Birmingham
  Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
  
  , Manchester
  Manchester
  Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
  
   and Bristol
  Bristol
  Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
  
  

Debate Mate Plus Programe

Debate Mate Plus is part of the Onward Learning Programme, this programme

• Works exclusively with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds
• Prepares participants for prestigious schools' debating competitions
• Targeted at years 10-13 (15-18 year old) pupils
• Delivered by international debating champions
• Develops advanced debating technique and subject knowledge workshops on topics such as Law, Economics, Politics, International Relations, Science and Ethics
• Entrepreneurship and Employability is part of an Onward Learning Programme
• Develops financial literacy and business skills to improve employability of Debate Mate students in the UK's top-growth industries: financial services, law, media and fashion
• Delivered by university students and leading business figures

Partners

Partners include: Glen Manchester (Entrepreneur of the Year, 2009), The Official Community, Brunswick PR, Clifford Chance, BskyB , BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

, House Of Lords

House of Lords

The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....

 and News International

News International

News International Ltd is the United Kingdom newspaper publishing division of News Corporation. Until June 2002, it was called News International plc....

Debate Mate International

International Programmes-

• Nepal
  Nepal
  Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
  
  : Debate Mate runs its core programme in partnership with the Samata Schools for impoverished Nepali students. Having taught over 1600 students in 2010, Debate Mate aim to continue and develop its presence there, selecting and training the Nepali team for the World Schools Debating Championship 2011 in Dundee

• Israel
  Israel
  The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
  
  /Palestine
  Palestine
  Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
  
  : Debate Mate partners with OneVoice
  OneVoice Movement
  OneVoice is a non profit organization and citizen activism movement working in Israel and the Palestinian territories to achieve a two-state solution through non-violent means...
  
  , an organisation of both Israelis and Palestinians that seeks peace through a two-state solution. In 2010, Debate Mate led a number of debating workshops on controversial issues affecting the region. One Voice now seek to make the Debate Mate programme an integral part of their leadership training

• United Arab Emirates
  United Arab Emirates
  The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
  
  : Debate Mate was the first organisation to teach debating in the UAE. They are the official coach of their international debating team, who made their debut in 2009 at the prestigious World Schools' Debating Championships. They will continue the programme there with an aim to extend it to students from a variety of different backgrounds

• USA: Debate Mate are currently running a pilot of their scheme in Boston, as it looks to expand to Debate Mate USA in within the next couple of years