Speyer Eighth Grader Una Joy Presents her Case for Debate Education at TEDxMIT!

Debate is part of a Speyer education starting in Kindergarten and we see the impact this essential and unique part of our curriculum manifest in a myriad of ways. However, recently, Speyer eighth grader Una Joy H. took her talent and passion for Debate beyond where we thought possible: presenting at TEDxMIT on how Debate education could help make a real change in the fight to protect our environment!

The TEDx folks provided the below description of her talk and you can watch it here:

Many youth are paralyzed by climate anxiety or, perhaps worse, apathetic — believing they have little power to actively change the world around them. Here 13-year-old Una Joy dares the audience to empower the next generation to have a voice in the society that is making decisions on their behalf. Her solution? An eco-civics curriculm for every student. Trained up in the art of debate, she argues that teaching kids to disagree, advocate for causes, research, and evaluate data actually empowers them to participate in the democratic process and societal solutions we'll need to effectively fight climate change.

She makes a strong case. Una Joy H. is a 13-year-old student dedicated to protecting the environment. After realizing many of her actions (like organizing a recycling club) were more performative than effective, she set out to make real change. Her approach starts with a Civics education.

We are so proud of Una Joy!