A new documentary called Immutable follow students in the Washington Urban Debate League over a two-year period as they face challenges in their own lives and on the debate stage.

In the program, students from middle school through high school learn how to think critically, challenge their own opinions, and find their voices through debate.

Immutable starts airing tonight on many PBS stations.

I recently spoke with three people connected to the film for a closer look.

The U.S. role in NATO, Social Security benefits, and economic inequality.

Not the kind of topics you usually hear teenagers discussing,

but in debate competitions, nothing is off the table. Urban debate leagues took hold in the 1990s, opening

the door to competitive debate for students in city schools.

Imagine it for the first time when we use this as a hook with kids, adults have to sit

in the back of the room for an hour and 45 minutes and just

listen to your ideas. That's really powerful. They're paying money and not receiving SSI.

Noah Millhouse is one of the students featured in the documentary Immutable. Now a high school

sophomore, Millhouse started debate during COVID after his mother pushed him to give it a try.

I just saw it as summer opportunity and going into debate and starting to compete and

actually win, it felt good.

I liked the sport of debate.

I like the people I met and it just felt like something I was able to adjust to and just

learn new things.

Millhouse is part of the Washington Urban Debate League, which helps students in D.C.

area public schools hone their debate skills.

It teaches life skills.

It teaches public school kids a whole host of things, how to speak in front of any audience,

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