Our core values.
Triumph Debate is an organization dedicated to making debate fair and accessible for everyone. Our staff members come from diverse backgrounds, both in debate, and life experiences. From not having a debate coach, to attending and/or coaching at a low income high school, we know adversity in Speech and Debate, and hope to use our experiences to help current debaters as well as improve the debate community. No matter what school you go to, where you’re from or your income level, Triumph Debate is for you.
We promote Education
We believe the purpose of debate is to educate students, and we incorporate that in everything we do. From our free educational videos to our helpful initiatives, we want to help debaters learn.
We Pursue accessibility
One of the foundational principles behind the creation of Triumph Debate is increasing accessibility. We believe that all students, no matter their circumstances, should be able to be successful in debate.
We engage in diversity of ideas
Our commitment to transparency.
Hiring Process
- All staff members must submit a formal application for consideration, including two references that Triumph Debate will contact.
- Triumph Debate will invite promising applicants to interview. Interviews are conducted virtually and feature questions relating to experience teaching, background, and ability to handle crisis scenarios/conflict manage. All interviews are recorded.
- We believe that teaching skills are of utmost importance. As such, we require all instructors to present a sample lesson, so that our staff may evaluate instructional skills.
- Applicants are hired based on a point system, where administrative staff rank candidates based on initial application, references, interviews, and sample lessons.
- Triumph Debate prioritizes hiring staff from different backgrounds and with diverse experiences.
Training
- Triumph Debate instructors take part in Sexual Harassment, Bullying and Diversity Training. We work with an independent organization to ensure the highest quality training.
- All staff members must undergo background checks. These background checks function as starting points to ensure all staff can safely work with our students.
- All staffers must abide by our staff policies, including the Triumph Debate Staff Code of Conduct, Equal Opportunity Policy, and Workplace Harassment Policy.
- Triumph Debate instructors also receive instructional training, including information on how to promote engagement with materials, build lesson plans, and manage classrooms.
- All instructional materials are reviewed by senior staff members, and instructors receive direct feedback to improve their pedagogical skills.
Reporting & Grievances
- Triumph Debate has clear procedures for both staff and students, should an incident arise.
- For our instructional programs, we provide students with an Ombudsperson as well as an anonymous reporting form, that allows students to express any issue they may be experiencing.
- Students are required to sign and follow a Code of Conduct with direct sanctions and disciplinary measures outlined, including: warnings, temporary suspension from activities, dismissal from camp, and temporary or permanent suspension from further Triumph activities/events. Triumph Debate reserves the right to notify parents, schools, administrations, and legal authorities if necessary.
- Staff members are provided with reporting procedures. These include direct points of contact as well as several options to communicate an incident. Offending staffers are subject to disciplinary actions including but not limited to reprimands, suspension, demotions, or terminations.
Pay & Compensation
- All staff members receive an hourly wage, with the exception of administrative staff members receiving stipends.
- For camp, staff members are paid for materials developed prior to camp, including PowerPoints, notes, worksheets, etc. as well as for instructing students. Pay is proportional to the duration of camp, with our two week Junior Instructors pay being $1,890 and $2,268 for Senior Instructors, each with a $250 stipend for pre-camp labor.
- Staffers are paid based on content type for Content Creation. We pay $20.00 / hr for labor related to Triumph Debate Workshops. Staff members who contribute to our brief are paid over $3.00 / card cut.