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“Lord, help us speak confidently during the debate and win against our opponents.” With these words, from one Debate Club President, I realized how serious our debaters were about the Debate Club and their upcoming debate event.

As Peace Corps Response Volunteers under the D.R.E.A.M.S. project our primary objective is to conduct CSE training to sensitize key stakeholders and train teachers to properly integrate the CSE framework into schemes of work and lesson plans. Thankfully, with the help of community members, we can explore other needs and begin new projects.

The CSE debate club is an activity requested by an enthusiastic school principal that viewed the debate club as a method to directly target learners with CSE topics, to develop their critical thinking, provide a safe space to discuss current issues and most importantly give them something to do after school. Extracurricular activities are lacking in my site and idleness is a concern teachers raise during workshops when we ask what they think are key drivers of high HIV/STI rates among adolescents in our district.

So, with the help of school leadership and Guidance Teachers, over the past five weeks, I have worked closely with two schools to develop a Debate Club and prepare students for an upcoming debate event. I have learned much about organized debate and discovered how much I enjoy working with young people. I often left the club thinking I should have considered education as a career path. My biggest concern about launching a new project was sustainability. As of today, we have about seven more months of service remaining, and I was concerned about the continuation of the club. But I worried for no reason. At both schools, Guidance Teachers, English Teachers, and others with debate experience organically convened without me and volunteered their time to coach the students for the upcoming debate. At this point in the project, I am simply a coordinator and I love that my community has taken ownership. Word is spreading and requests were made to add two more schools to my roster next term.