Who We Are
About Us:
Reverie Speech and Debate Academy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to making speech and debate accessible to all. We donate proceeds to underfunded communities, ensuring every student has a chance to find their voice. Our small-group approach fosters collaboration while providing top-tier coaching from accomplished competitors.
We’ve been immersed in speech and debate since 7th grade, serving as captains and leaders in our events. This isn’t just an extracurricular for us—it’s our passion.
Why We Started Reverie:
We believe public speaking is power. Everyone deserves the confidence and skills debate provides, but many don’t have access, or do not realize their hidden potential. Our goal is to change that. We know the struggle—stage fright, self-doubt, and the challenge of starting out. Speech and debate helped us break through, and we want to do the same for others. Plus, some of the best events in debate often go unnoticed—we’re here to change that too.
Why Choose Reverie?
Elite Coaching: Our staff includes NSDA National Qualifiers (top 0.2% of the US), National Tournament finalists, and top-ranked competitors in NJ State Tournaments.
We Offer Instruction In: Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Congressional Debate, and Extemporaneous Speaking. There are several reasons why we hand-picked these events, but their commonalities is that they are extremely undersaturated, which makes receiving high levels awards recognized by National Universities easier, require less preparation for students on a busy schedule, and are more reflective of real world experiences, as they prioritize persuasion and composure above over-competitiveness.
Why Choose Reverie?
100% of the funds that we raise from our programs will go to two key outputs:
Assistance to Underprivileged Communities: dozens of communities in New Jersey alone do not have enough funding or resources to fuel speech & debate programs. We hope to reach out to these schools and improve education regarding public speaking and debate!
Funding the Millburn S&D Team: Our own speech & debate team has taken several budget cuts within the past several years, making national tournaments inexplicably expensive for our competitors. We hope to raise money so that we can lower this burden as much as possible.
Proven Benefits of Speech & Debate:
15%: of students report higher self-esteem.
87%: see improved analytical skills.
22-30%: boost in college admission process thought State or National Recognition
60%: Increase in being a team captain.
What’s Next?
Reverie is still a new concept, and we expect to see great success in growth and future endeavors. In the summer of 2025, we are planning to organize a Speech and Debate Summer Camp, delving into specific details and techniques that can be applied through each event all through an in-person experience and engaging experience. Additionally, we are developing a volunteering program for high school speech and debate members to teach students directly at underprivileged schools.
