Empowering voices: How Youth Prose Scholars is shaping the future of public speaking and advocacy

Orange County teenagers Brian Chung (then 10th grader), Evan Razmjoo (then 8th grader) and Max Razmjoo (then 10th grader) founded Youth Prose Scholars (YPS) in December 2021. YPS is a program serving Orange County students in developing a voice and passion for speech and debate.

YPS was founded on a shared epiphany. Upon reflection on how far they had come since their novice days, Chung and the Razmjoo brothers realized that many schools did not have adequate resources to foster a strong debate program and compete in tournaments. In the spirit of the season, Chung suggested that they could take the valuable lessons they learned on public speaking and pass them on to future generations of kids. 

The far-fetched idea soon became a reality as Chung and the Razmjoo brothers drove all across Orange County in hopes of pitching the program to interested schools. After cold-calling numerous schools, they landed a meeting with the Director of the Anaheim Higher Ground Learning Center. Shortly after, they designed a curriculum and extensive lesson plans centered around the methodology of the various forms of public speech such as argumentative skills or defending arguments. 

YPS was a success from the get-go. “When we started, I was expecting half a dozen students, maybe close to 10,” said Max Razmjoo, current lead instructor of YPS. “I was surprised to see nearly two dozen students at our first session.”

YPS lead instructor Max Razmjoo teaches debate fundamentals to Orange County youth. (Photo courtesy of YPS.)

As the boys were hoping for, the response from the kids was ecstatic. Current spring student, Matteo, a 7th-grade student at Higher Ground Learning Center, shared “It was exciting to really debate and talk deeply about a huge range of topics from our favorite video game, to juvenile criminal justice reform. It got me interested in pursuing debate in high school, and now I’m probably gonna be a 3rd speaker in parliamentary debate in the upcoming spring OCDL Championship.”

Like Matteo, many of the students at Higher Ground Learning Center were enthusiastic participants in the program. With such positive feedback, the boys wanted to expand further. 

Students like Matteo have found a voice and a passion for debate through YPS. Echoing this sentiment, Tammy Kim, Irvine City Council Member and strategic partner of YPS, observed, “Seeing the work led by them [Youth Prose Scholars] first hand has been incredibly inspiring. They’re not just teaching students to speak… they’re teaching them to lead with conviction into whatever they may pursue beyond middle school for the rest of their lives.”

In discussing their overarching objectives, Chung, the president of YPS, highlighted the greater importance of early exposure to speaking and advocacy. He stated, “Our goal is to ensure our students and peers receive the exposure they need to not only pursue public speaking and advocacy now, but into the future as they begin to engage expanding opportunities as they enter high school and beyond.”

YPS President Brian Chung leads an interactive speech activity. (Photo courtesy of YPS.)

By February 2024, YPS had become engaged with over 10 middle school districts and programs, partnering with organizations including Scholarship Prep, Higher Ground and Tustin Unified Schools. From two dozen, they now are serving over 500 kids in Orange County. They have an official partnership with the Orange County Debate League, where they have sponsored students from Scholarship Prep and Higher Ground Learning Center among other competing debate schools into tournaments since the fall. 

6th grade students leading a Point of Information-based speaking activity on cash bail. (Photo courtesy of YPS.)

Last month, YPS partnered with Youth Commons, 501(c)(3), to expand their after-school curriculum into broader advocacy, such as dissecting the legislation-making process and discussing ways to become civically engaged at as young as middle school into high school.

“It’s been a really rewarding experience thus far,” said Evan Razmjoo, co-founder of YPS. “I look forward to our new expansion into the Inland Valley.” 

Dorothy Ma, the new chapter head in Inland Valley and a former debater herself, says, “Speech and debate teaches the fundamental skills of communication and argumentation, which are arguably some of the most important tools in life. From judging to mentoring younger students, we’ve been able to explore these concepts with kids from Orange County to the Inland Valley, allowing them to find their own voices and the confidence to advocate for what they believe in.”

As this school year comes to a close, the next one looks promising for students in Orange County and now the Inland Valley, among Youth Prose Scholars’ region-wide chapters, who are interested in exploring the rewarding world of public speaking and debate.