Our Mission
The UK has one of the lowest rates of social mobility amongst OECD countries. This means that children growing up in poverty are less likely to achieve in school, to attend university, and to find productive employment as adults.
By the age of seven, children who are eligible for Free School Meals are more than twice as likely as their better-off peers to be behind on expected reading levels. Over 60 percent of these children will fail to achieve five good GCSEs, which significantly increases their chances of becoming unemployed upon leaving school.
Debate Mate aims to tackle educational disadvantage in some of Britain’s most deprived communities.
It does this by recruiting and training university students to run extra-curricular debate workshops in schools with an above average percentage of children eligible for Free School Meals.
Our programmes increase speaking and listening attainment and improve a range of higher-order thinking skills and non-cognitive abilities such as confidence, teamwork, and leadership.
In doing so, our programmes address the widening skills gap between education and employment, whilst raising aspirations and helping students to make informed post-18 choices.
We believe that every child deserves equal access to a top education. Debate Mate supports the young people of today to find their voices, so that they can become the leaders of tomorrow.
Our team
Margaret has over twenty years' experience as a commercial barrister, combined with two decades in the voluntary sector including Centre Point and the NSPCC Justice for Children programme.
Jess graduated from the University of Warwick with a degree in Comparative American Studies. As part of her degree she spent a year studying History at UCLA in the USA. Jess is a Teach First ‘07 Ambassador, she worked as an English and History teacher at The Lammas School and Sports College in East London where she was appointed Whole School Literacy Coordinator, and was committed to creating a debating community within the school. Jess joined the Debate Mate team in September 2010 to grow the programme across the UK, and currently oversees the running of the charity and their strategic vision.
Enayah graduated from the University of East Anglia with a degree in English and American Literature. She completed her PGCE in 2005 and has worked in inner-London secondary schools since then, teaching English up to A Level. Enayah was Deputy of the English and Literacy Faculty for 5 years at Acland Burghley School before joining the Debate Mate team in September 2015, where she oversees the running of Debate Mate's UK programmes and operations.
James graduated from the University of Manchester in 2018 with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. James has mentored for Debate Mate on both the Core and Accelerate Programmes in schools across the UK and has also mentored internationally in Rwanda, Nepal, China, and South Korea. Since joining the Debate Mate team full-time in 2018, James has overseen the Manchester Programme, London Programme and the Nepal Summer International Programme. As Director of Programmes, James oversees the operations, strategy and management of the team as well as all the portfolio of programmes we work we deliver in schools across the UK.
As the Director of Education UK, overseeing our work with schools beyond the Core Programme, partnerships and teacher training, Abby graduated from UCL with a degree in Anthropology. Since, she has worked across a range of industries, including journalism, PR, brand management and West End theatre production. Abby has mentored on the Core Programme across London Primary and Secondary, both in-person and online, in addition to mentoring on Debate Mate's International Programme in Nepal 2019. Alongside Debate Mate, Abby has co-founded a Creativity Conference, is a trained Yoga Instructor and has worked as a Primary Teacher - incorporating all expertise into her position with Education UK.
As the current Programme Director of Education UK, Alia has previously mentored for our London Core and Education UK Programmes, whilst completing her Masters in Law. Debating competitively during her BSc in Law and Criminology at Nottingham University, she worked as a Parliamentary researcher and as a BAME representative for her constituency, empowering people from diverse backgrounds through reform. She also has a passion for running Model UN and has represented her school internationally. Alia recently oversaw the running of our 2024 pilot International Programmes in Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Elissa graduated from BPP University with a Postgraduate Diploma in Law, mentoring on our Core and Education UK Programmes for two years. She debated competitively whilst undertaking her undergraduate degree in Economics and Politics at Queen Mary, University of London, and at UC San Diego in her year abroad. In 2018, she represented her university on the Common Purpose Leadership Programme in Kuala Lumpur, where she met with representatives of charities and purpose-led private companies to understand how to design smart cities. As a Programme Director for 2 years, she ran our Core Programme for London Primary and then London Secondary whilst overseeing our Graduate School Programme. She had the privilege to co-manage our International Programme in Nepal and Sri Lanka in the summer of 2024. She now continues to oversee the Graduate School Programme, as well as leading on the motions team whilst in her new role at Debate Mate Training.
Ffion mentored with Debate Mate for four years whilst studying for her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. Whilst studying BA Ancient History and History at the University of Manchester, Ffion took on several Core clubs a week as well as mentoring on The Accelerate Programme. She carried this on to Liverpool where she studied MA Medieval and Renaissance Studies at the University of Liverpool. Through mentoring on several online clubs during her studies, Ffion had the opportunity to mentor on a wide range of programmes and met many inspirational Debate Mate students. As Programme Director, Ffion oversaw a successful year with the Manchester Primary and Secondary Schools on the Core Programme and is excited to work with the Manchester schools again this year as Senior Programme Director. Ffion is also looking forward to taking on the Wales Programme in Cardiff.
Ruairi is a Senior Programme Director who will be overseeing The Liverpool Programme as well as The Accelerate and DebateBox Programmes. His experience as a mentor, whilst studying in Liverpool, spanned over four years and helped to drive a passion for working with young people. Ruairi followed up graduating by working in a specialist mental health and communications secondary school. This experience helped him realise that disengaged students can often be forgotten in mainstream education and that giving them a platform to display their skills was crucial. By leading on The Accelerate and DebateBox Programmes he is able to really focus on the importance of providing extra-curricular and skill development opportunities for young people across the country.
Dale graduated from University College London in 2021 with a degree in History. He was a mentor with Debate Mate for two years on the London programme, teaching in secondary schools across London. Upon leaving university, he worked for the Civil Service as a Policy Advisor, specialising in sustainable farming in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. In his role, Dale oversees a range of partnerships and our International Programmes, while also supporting the Fundraising and Education UK teams.
Lily graduated from Goldsmiths, University of London in 2023 with a degree in Media & Communications. She mentored for Debate Mate throughout her time at university, teaching the core programme in London and judging at various competitions. Having a background in film and digital content production, she has worked on projects that have successfully been admitted to BAFTA qualifying film festivals. She has also been involved in organising a South London event that showcases graduate work and connects emerging creatives with industry veterans. Joining Debate Mate full time in October 2023, she assists with fundraising and leads the social media team, as well as being the Programme Director for London Primary schools.
For the past several years, Funke has had various roles within education and working with children. Primarily, Funke has experience caring for younger children through working in a nursery. She was first introduced to Debate Mate online, and it was here that Funke then took an interest in the way Debate Mate inspires and educates young people. Funke joined the team in January 2024 as an Assistant Programme Director, assisting the team with the running of the Programmes, taking and editing content for our social media platforms, and assisting the senior staff on the administrative side of Debate Mate. Now a Programme Director, Funke is excited to oversee our London Primary Programme.
Sabrina graduated from Newcastle University in 2023 with an honours degree in Biomedical Sciences. Since the Summer of 2022, Sabrina mentored for Debate Mate Virtual, mentoring on The Fundamentals of Debating course with students aged 6-16 from across the globe. She has additionally mentored on the Exploring Series courses, leading students in 5-week courses on a range of subjects and topics including Entrepreneurship, Creative Writing, Journalism, and more. As a Senior mentor, Sabrina mentored on bespoke courses, leading 1-to-1 sessions on Interview Coaching for 11+ students, as well as Teenage Confidence Coaching. At the start of 2024, Sabrina joined the Debate Mate Virtual team full time as a Programme Support Assistant. She worked with the team to run over 75 Virtual Clubs each term, and helped to manage over 50 mentors. Sabrina is incredibly excited to be joining the Debate Mate Schools team as Programme Director for the London Secondary Core Programme this year. She will also be supporting additional programmes including Debate Mate Plus.
Caroline mentored at Debate Mate for three years during her undergraduate studies in Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Liverpool. She delivered both the Core and Accelerate Programmes during her time as a mentor. As well as this, Caroline also did some youth work in Friday and Saturday clubs for children and young adults with SEND in the Merseyside region. Since graduating, she has been employed as a Programme Director at Debate Mate and will oversee both the primary and secondary school programmes in the West Midlands region.
Dhalia earned her MA in Politics, Development, and the Global South from Goldsmiths University of London in 2024. Before joining the team, she spent a year mentoring with Debate Mate, bringing with her 8 years of experience in debating and coaching as she has coached debate teams at universities and within refugee camps across Palestine with special focus on women debaters empowerment. She also represented her university in both local and international debate championships.
Dhalia integrates her background in human rights, international law, and politics into her debate practices. Her approach focuses on capacity building, empowering students to develop independent thinking and confidently express their opinions.
As the Programme Director for Debate Mate, she is now responsible for overseeing the London Secondary Schools for the Core Programme, as well as the Debate Mate Plus Programme.
Rushma recently completed her A-Levels in Politics, English Literature, and Psychology at King Edward VI College, Stourbridge. As a former student of the Debate Mate core programme at Shireland Collegiate Academy, she excelled as a debater, winning the Debate Mate Cup and participating in several showcase debates. Her passion for debate was further demonstrated when she won the Expo Factor competition, representing the UK as a Debate Mate student at the Dubai World Expo in 2022.
During her gap year, Rushma is applying her skills and experience in her role as Assistant Programme Director at Debate Mate, where she supports oversight of both the West Midlands Primary and Secondary Schools on the Core Programme.
Board of trustees
Britt Lintner is Managing Director for International Business Development at EnTrust Global. Before joining EnTrust Global, Britt worked for Deutsche Bank managing EMEA distribution for Liquid Alternatives. Prior to 2015, Britt was Managing Director in the UK institutional sales team at Man Group investment management for nine years. She spent eight years at Lehman Brothers in institutional sales and sales trading in New York and London. Britt Lintner holds a BA in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master’s Degree from the Sotheby’s Institute of Art. Britt is also an adviser to Synchronicity Earth and lives in London with her husband and two sons.
Fiona has been involved in a variety of voluntary projects and community activities for over 50 years, since she was at school. After a MA in History from Cambridge, and a diploma in Business Studies, she worked on the development of employment and training policy for both British and European administrations, and subsequently became increasingly committed to working with NGOs, charities and social enterprise. She lives in London, and has a large extended family which includes 5 grandchildren, so she remains closely involved with educational initiatives at several levels.
Marcus leads Deutsche Bank’s innovation efforts across Asia Pacific running the Singapore Innovation Lab where he is based. Marcus has held previous roles in venture capital and strategy consulting. Marcus graduated with a BA in French and German from University College during which time he was also a mentor for Debate Mate.
Jude Thompson is the Founder and Managing Director of Indigo Talent with clients including global production companies through to start-ups. She has a commitment to instigating change from disrupting existing hiring practices, through to being a proud Global Ambassador and trustee of Debate Mate, underlying is a value system based on integrity and passion.
Originating from the North-East via several stints living in France, the love of anything water sports related and a vibrant community, finds her currently living in Brighton.
Ade Odusola joined the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) in 2020 to advise on Space Policy. Before joining BEIS, Ade was an Executive Programme Director at Debate Mate running the Accelerate Programme in addition to programmes in Nottingham and Kigali. Ade holds a BA in Philosophy and Economics from the University of Nottingham.
Tayo is a teacher of English Literature at Langdon Academy in London, where she is also Extra Curriculum Coordinator. She is passionate about providing opportunities for children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and started one of the first ever Debate Mate clubs in her school back in 2008. Her students went on to win the first Urban Debate League and Debate Mate Cup competitions in 2010. She was also featured as part of the televised series 'Kings and Queens of Speech' in 2015. Tayo holds a MA in Communication Studies from the University of Leeds and a BA in Theatre Arts from the University of Ibadan.
Keanna Williams is a Creative Tech Entrepreneur and Future Trainee Lawyer at Clifford Chance. Keanna studied International Law and Globalisation at the University of Birmingham before joining Debate Mate full time as a Programme Director. Keanna completed the Debate Mate Programme throughout her time at school, competing internationally. Keanna is completing her LPC Masters in Commercial Business Law and will be starting at Clifford Chance LLP in August of 2021