It’s not often that young people’s opinions about what is happening in the public square, and their ideas for solutions to these issues, are platformed and celebrated. But here, we have a hopeful look at what real debate can look like, an antidote to polarization and the disintegration of civil discourse. In a national championship run by Incubate Debate, the U.S.’s fastest-growing middle school and high school debate league, middle school and high school students from 180 schools across Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia gathered in Jacksonville, FL to participate in two days of vigorous debates ranging from climate change to Donald Trump’s role on January 6th. Ten distinguished judges from across the ideological spectrum deliberated which debater made their points in each debate, including Open to Debate CEO Clea Conner, former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, and Chief Program Officer of the Bill of Rights Institute Stan Smith.

Join us as we follow eight students during the final rounds of Incubate Debate who debate the following questions: “Should College DEI Programs Be Abolished?” and “Is Climate Change An Emergency?”