Fund Speech and Debate Activites in the School Aid Budget

Please support for adding Sec 99p to the School Aid Budget, as developed by the Michigan Interscholastic Forensic Association (MIFA) and currently in the Senate’s version of the bill. The amendment offers grants to schools interested in providing speech activities programs to students. Access to grants fosters development of new programs and bolsters existing programs trying hard to survive. This support impacts the lives of thousands of Michigan students by improving these lifelong skills. Competitive Speech Activities are crucial to the strength of our state and economy for several reasons: ● Life Changing Activity: Public speaking is the #1 fear for 75% of people. Students who participate in speech activities overcome that fear early in life. They develop research skills, critical thinking skills, and improved reading comprehension and writing scores, which create a healthy foundation for their entire education. ● Increases Test Scores & Graduation Rates: Studies demonstrate that participation in debate and forensics increases performance on standardized tests, such as the ACT and SAT. They are also more likely to graduate from high school and college. ● Experience Beyond the Classroom: Speech competitions are experience generators in policymaking, creative problem solving, team collaboration, and individual advocacy that provide real-world opportunities for students to test their know-how. ● Portable Skills: Consistently, employers' greatest concern is the widening skill gap in public speaking, critical thinking, communication, data analysis, and leadership. The portable skills students learn in speech activities foster talented communicators who excel as engineers, lawyers, medical professionals, and business people. Now is the time to invest in the future leaders of our country; that starts with debate and forensics.