Points Being Made

They are some of the best High School students to practice debate, and last Friday's they has the chance to speak at the podium in City Hall as  Councilwoman Jan Perry honored the Santee High School Global Debate Team. Respectfully shy in council chambers, they later opened up in the media room where Perry herself did the interview for LA’s Channel 35.

The South LA high school students are competing for a trip the United Nations Youth Leadership Summit, an initiative of the United Nations Foundation designed to engage discussion and debate about today’s global issues, as they did in March when they hosted a debate on water conservation. "The debate helped us learn how to do research about international issues," said Nelson Gonzalez, a junior at Santee High School and a member of the debate team. "Being on the debate team has helped us learn about important topics that are significant for everyone. We want to get to the summit to make our voice heard on this issue."

To qualify for the July summit, the team gathers points by writing essays, distributing press releases, producing videos, and developing blogs, as well as developing coverage in media and recognition from elected officials. Not only did they get some recognition from their Councilperson last Friday, in March both Perry and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa were among those attending the Santee Educational Complex summit.

However, nothing may have prepped these young debaters more than being the youngest in the family, something three out of four debate team members had in common. That’s always a good starting point for difficult negotiations and debate.