About Us
Sumo Debate
Sumo Debate was founded with the idea of preparing children and young adults with all the critical thinking, analytical, and conversational skills they will need to tackle their futures. In today's climate, media literacy and good-faith collaboration are at an all time low. Our goal is to provide a grass roots education across a wide field of communicative subjects which aim to create better educated students, workers, and participants in society.
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Courses seek to build core skills first such as basic logic, argumentative structure, public speaking confidence, research, and case writing. After students have developed a foundation of Debate knowledge, advanced lessons take deep dives into modern world problems, philosophy, and politics. These classes provide students with a well-rounded understanding of what current issues exist and how to discuss solutions. At the highest levels, students compete in national competitions and push the limits of debate strategy, quick thinking, and creative eloquence.
About
Sumeer Benawra, 36
I treat the practice of productive conversation as a way of life. From my preteen years onward, I was always testing the limits of ideas with my peers (and adults who would listen). Honing truth-seeking thinking and persuasive rhetoric was one of my favorite hobbies. In college, this continued in the form of a philosophy degree at Emory University. After college, I was given the opportunity to coach a high school debate team. My life experience up till this point had proven useful, and within 3 years we won the school's first ever state championship in Lincoln Douglas debate.
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Not long after, I was brought in to emergency coach a team of Junior High debaters for Elite Leadership Institute. I came to the conclusion that working with younger children allowed me more time to shape and build core critical thinking skills to more flexible minds. Since then, I've widened the courses and audiences I've taught to to better serve the student base. The goal is to create a consistent education in debate/critical thinking/public speaking which students can rely on from 2nd to 12th grade in the same way that they continue to develop math, science, or language skills.
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Debate is a wonderful intersection of a number of important life skills. The ability to obtain and process quality research is the primary way adults develop new knowledge. Next is the ability to synthesize original thoughts or your own arguments from the data you've amassed. Structuring of arguments with an underpinning in related value systems to ensure they are understood by the target audience. Finally, eloquence and performance under pressure to sound the part. These skills never cease being relevant and so I consider it a responsibility for a quality education to provide them.
Debate Experience
2010
Bachelor of Arts - Philosophy
Emory University
2011-2015
Debate and Speech Coach
Buffalo Grove High School, IL
College was a continuation of a long tradition of conversational philosophy. Formalizing an education in modern thought.
Taught Lincoln Douglas, Public Forum, Impromptu speaking, and Extemporaneous speaking. Won a state championship with many local circuit wins.
2016-2019
Head Debate Coach
Elite Leadership Institute
Taught 2nd to 8th graders a variety of debate courses in classroom settings. Competition courses took students to tournaments across the country which saw multiple finalist finishes.
2019-Current
Senior Instructor
Youth Voices
Teach 2nd-12th grade students on all debate needs. Summer camps and tournament boot camps provide a new level of preparation. Students have seen finalist and championship success across Lincoln Douglas, Public Forum, and Congressional debate forms.