The Computer-Assisted Debate Project (CAD) works to strengthen the academic performance and opportunities available to at-risk youth because of the strong team of organizations and funding sources that support the effort. The primary partners for the initiative are:
The Atlanta Housing Authority is organized under Georgia law to develop, acquire, lease and operate affordable housing for low-income families. AHA is the largest housing agency in Georgia and one of the largest in the nation, serving approximately 50,000 people. It has forged unprecedented partnerships with both the public and the private sector in order to build whole communities that provide the educational and employment opportunities families need to survive. AHA has contributed to the CAD project by targeting two of its communities (Bowen Homes and Hollywood Court Apartments) for participation in the pilot project, due to high numbers of middle-school age residents. AHA has served as the primary catalyst for building the collaborative team that has launched CAD.
TechBridge is an Atlanta-based non-profit organization that helps other nonprofits use technology to better serve the community. TechBridge provides professional, affordable technology consulting services, innovative technology solutions and access to the financial, technical and human resources nonprofits need to be successful with technology. TechBridge has worked with the CAD team to construct and launch this website. It also provides a conduit to the business community to help locate interested individuals wishing to act as coaches or judges for the debate activities.
Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta
The Boys & Girls Club of Metro-Atlanta strives to enhance the lives of at-risk young people through safe, productive after school programs. Last year, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta served more than 30,000 young people through its Clubs, summer sites, and outreach programs. The organization has installed a has installed a computer lab at Carson
as a support system for CAD activities. Boys & Girls Clubs play a primary role in CAD programming, by staffing critical pieces of the after-school pilot project each day at the Carson Honors Preparatory School.
The National Debate Project (NDP) is a consortium of Emory University, Georgia State University, and Clark Atlanta University that strives to bring the benefits of debate training to traditionally underserved youth populations. The work of its members spawned the Urban Debate League, an educational movement that resulted in more than : served more than 30,000 students; 18 U.S.cities participating in debate competitions. The NDP will supply college faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate debaters as coaches and teaching staff for the pilot project. It will also provide the programming for the two-week intensive debate camp at Carson and will conduct assessment of the program’s outcomes.
In 2003, the Atlanta Public School System decided to honor the possibilities of limitless opportunity by renaming West Fulton Middle School. The new name, Benjamin S. Carson Honors Preparatory School, recognizes the achievements of Ben Carson who grew up poor and was raised by a single mother in a rough inner-city neighborhood. Carson is now the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore. Carson Honors Prep has continued the legacy of its namesake by providing its facilities and access to its student for the CAD project. Its teachers and principal work with the team partners to help track student progress in the program.
The Computer-Assisted Debate Project has been able to reach more at-risk youth due to the generosity of various foundations and community organizations. Contributors to the project include the John H. and Wilhelmina D. Harland Charitable Foundation, the Wachovia Foundation, the Glenn Pelham Memorial Fund, and numerous individual donors.
