Hello friends! After our amazing October 12th launch event between Maine DOC and MIT Debate (video posted on our events page), I am happy to announce that our efforts to expand the league are in full swing! Our collaboration with Maine DOC continues and we’re also looking to work with the Federal Bureau of Prisons and possibly Norway in the near future!

Our team is currently organizing multiple events for Spring 2023 and we’re looking for new prison and collegiate debate partners to join us, so if you’re looking to get involved, please reach out and contact us. We will provide all of the necessary research, training, and coaching to prepare incarcerated learners (no debate experience is required-just the courage to try something new) to effectively engage with their free-world collegiate counterparts.  All we’re doing is setting the stage for human talent to be seen and heard.

In order to properly expand and retain independent operational control of our programming, the NPDL is going through the lengthy nonprofit application process.  In the meantime, we are actively looking to form mission-aligned organizational and fiscal partnerships to help us build capacity and fund this groundbreaking work.  If you are interested in helping us in this regard, please email us so we can collaborate.  Thank you and stay tuned!!!

Maine prison debate team beats MIT in historic competition | Maine Public

This Formerly Incarcerated Man Is Starting a Prison Debate League (prisonjournalismproject.org)