Stuart Foundation Invests in Urban Debate
in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Areas
The Stuart Foundation recently approved a grant submitted by the NAUDL to support Urban Debate League founding work in both Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay areas.
The Stuart Foundation is a California-based Foundation dedicated to ensuring that "opportunities and possibilities remain open and available to all young men and women who have high ideals and are willing to make sacrifices for their attainment." The grant will support the NAUDL’s efforts to, among other things, engage supporters in each area through a reception, convene stakeholders and nonprofit practitioners to solicit their input, advocate to build school system investment, create a deliberate and thoughtful implementation strategy, and raise awareness about urban debate.
Rhonnel Sotelo, the Stuart Foundation's Senior Program Officer for Youth & Communities, explains the fit between the Foundation's priorities and the NAUDL: "The Stuart Foundation is pleased to support the NAUDL in its work in the San Francisco Bay Area and metropolitan Los Angeles to help young people become productive, responsible, and inspired citizens. We strive to find exemplary, catalytic opportunities like the NAUDL in our efforts to positively impact all dimensions of a young person's development. The organization's deep commitment to supporting students express their voice and participate in policy debate aligns well with our efforts to advance youth aspirations to become successful, self-sustaining, and civically engaged members of society."
Lenny Gail, NAUDL Board Chairman, says, "We at the NAUDL are grateful for the Stuart Foundation’s early stage investment in our efforts to start UDLs in these two localities. The Stuart Foundation’s professionalism and ability to offer substantive counsel regarding our efforts to secure school system and other partnerships for these Leagues makes their vote of confidence all the more significant."
The NAUDL's League building work, which brings together an active community of stakeholders devoted to improving the education of their communities’ youth, is already underway in both areas. The end goal in each is the same: The formation of a UDL that secures school system investment, activates committed civic and business leadership, and earns broad community recognition for moving the needle on academic achievement, success at college, and leadership development.
Several small events this summer have helped set the stage for early success. In Los Angeles, a lunch hosted by Henry Weissmann, Bart Williams, and Sandra Seville-Jones of and at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, kicked off the LA UDL planning efforts. In San Francisco, Darin Snyder hosted a lunch at O'Melveny & Meyers LLP. And, NAUDL Board Member and CEO of ReadySolar, Meredith McClintock, hosted a working dinner in downtown Palo Alto.
Receptions in each area this fall will introduce the idea of and plans for urban debate to a broader audience. In Los Angeles, Lance Rosenzweig, CEO and founder of PeopleSupport (NASDAQ: PSPT), hosted an event for more than 50 persons at his Rodeo Drive Beverly Hills home on October 28th. In the Bay Area, Darin Snyder, the Managing Partner of O'Melveny & Meyers LLP in San Francisco, has agreed to host at his Marin County home on December 2nd. Please contact NAUDL Senior Regional Program Officer Holly Reiss (hollyreiss@urbandebate.org) for more information.
