<p>So, over the last year I started our school's debate team.</p>
<p>That's about the end of the good news. We've competed in like 2 tournaments this year, but really, we are completely illegitimate. We simply don't have enough people to justify going to tournaments, even though we are in a very active league. I have a friend who runs it with me who moved here from another school (which was a huge debate school) but s/he's leaving next year and there isn't much hope.</p>
<p>Many, many problems:</p>
<p>1) Recruitment. How do we get more members? We had 40 people sign up initially and now only around 4 or 5 show up regularly, really only 2 (myself included) who are dedicated (the other is also a senior...no, my co-captain does not compete anymore). This is the #1 issue, because once we have more members, we have much more ability to change.
2) Legitimacy. We're looked at as somewhat of a joke. The good students are either doing Model UN, Mock Trial, or nothing of the sort whatsoever.
3) Nobody knows what the heck debate is. (self explanatory). Our town has almost nobody who knows what legitimate, competitive debate is.
4) Zero dedication. NOBODY works. Everybody simply refuses to do research or challenge themselves... it takes 3 weeks for me to remind somebody to read the event description to the event they are doing, and they still don't do it. Nobody even bothers asking their parents if they can judge, so we literally can't go to tournaments.</p>
<p>Our problem: No funding (and no possibility). No coach (and without funding, not even a teacher to help run it...some weird contractual thing, though we could get teachers to help out with organization etc.). Zero discipline (and none possible, given the low amount of members and lack of legitimacy. I expect people to invest 40 minutes a day and we get 5 minutes a month.) (It sounds like I'm a terrible leader, but I've instituted disciplinary stuff etc. and new ways to teach/get people to work. Not working. People say they're interested and don't come to meetings and when they do, flat out refuse to learn anything, so I don't let them come to tournaments, and it's a terrible, terrible vicious cycle.) We would have tryouts, but we simply don't have enough members. And I, as a result, also have zero experience and lack legitimacy myself.</p>
<hr>
<p>If you didn't take the time to read all that, here are my questions:How do we institute a debate oriented culture at our school, because that obviously is the underlying issue? IS IT POSSIBLE for this to work? I am basically considering this year a failure and I am trying to figure out some sort of 6 month plan to institute to set us up for next year. My goal is to get to the point where we can institute tryouts (which means I need more than 10 interested members), have some sort of competitive system, and to go to NFL Districts next year, and get debate recognized among the general school population, as well as the administration (we have zero affiliation currently).</p>
<p>I am asking many people around me these questions, because what we have tried so far has not worked. I really need some help with this, or our school will not have any sort of debate instituted for many, many years to come. Should I just give it up? Does anybody have a similar experience?</p>