Peninsula Pathways Debate
San Mateo County Chapter — APYS Program
We are empowering every student to find their voice.
Who We Are
Peninsula Pathways is a student-led initiative dedicated to expanding access to speech and debate education across San Mateo County. Founded on the belief that every student deserves the opportunity to develop their voice, our program works to bring high-quality debate instruction, workshops, and mentorship to schools that may not otherwise have access. Through a focus on critical thinking, public speaking, and civic awareness, we aim to empower students to become confident communicators, thoughtful leaders, and active participants in their communities.
What We Offer
Peninsula Pathways is developing a range of accessible, high-impact programs designed to introduce and strengthen speech and debate skills for students of all experience levels.
Planned Event: Debate 101 Pop-Up Workshops
Students are introduced to what debate is + common formats, how arguments are structured (claim → warrant → impact), what makes persuasion effective, how to speak confidently, even with zero experience, how to respond to opposing arguments, and how debate improves critical thinking and communication.
Are you a librarian or staff member of a local center for youth interested in hosting us? You can contact us in our contact page above.
Planned Event: Parliamentary Debate Scrimmage Series
The Parliamentary Debate Scrimmage Series is a planned set of low-stakes practice rounds designed to give students hands-on debate experience in a supportive environment. These scrimmages will allow debaters to apply core skills such as case construction, refutation, and weighing while receiving guided feedback from experienced coaches. The series is intended to help both new and developing debaters build confidence, improve round strategy, and prepare for formal competition.
These scrimmages will generally take place online, or in person if we have available venues. Again, if you are interested in hosting our parliamentary scrimmages, please contact us.
Planned Event: Inside the Ballot: Debate Judge Training Workshop
This workshop introduces new and developing judges to how debate rounds are evaluated, from flowing and identifying clash to weighing impacts and making fair decisions. Participants will learn how to write clear, constructive ballots and judge based on argumentation rather than personal opinion. The session also includes an introduction to Tabroom, covering round assignments, ballot submission, and tournament procedures.
These workshops will take place online via Zoom meetings lasting about 40 minutes, and you must preregister with forms, available on this page, ahead of scheduled days.
Get Involved
We are always looking for passionate students and volunteers to help expand access to speech and debate across our community.
Peninsula Pathways Debate partners with San Mateo County schools free of charge to help build debate programs or strengthen existing ones. We offer free workshops, weekly coaching, curriculum templates, team-building guidance from experienced leaders, tournament preparation, and long-term sustainability planning.
We offer leadership experience critical in communications, research, and administration, a critical opportunity to make an impact on communities through community service, training and support through our chapter and beyond, and a voice in shaping local education and the debate world. We are looking for people who are current or alumni debaters with competitive experience and who are committed to expanding access and supporting underfunded schools.
We are also looking for people to fulfill the roles of Coach Coordinator, Outreach Coordinator, Media/Communications (Via social media and advertising), and Events/Workshops leads. These roles are instrumental in helping our program run smoothly and provide the best for students’ needs.
Meet the Team
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Katya Chikanov
FOUNDER & PROGRAM HEAD
Meet the founder of Peninsula Pathways Debate project, with over 3 years of experience across World Schools and Parliamentary Debate, as well as SPAR and Impromptu speaking. She has earned awards at many prestigious tournaments globally such as championing Stanford in World Schools Debate (2025) and taking awards at the National Tournament (2025), as well as competing in over 15 tournaments since 2023. Over the course of her competitive career, she has served as a club president and instructor, helping students strengthen their structure, confidence, and round vision, and built numerous debate programs in other institutions. -
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Adelie Zhang
MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS HEAD
Addie Zhang is a speech and debate coach and competitor with over five years of experience. Many of her notable acomplishments include finaling in 4th, 5th, 2nd and 4th place at the Stanford Invitational (NSpar, JVSpar, MSPF, VSpar, respectively), a Georgetown Invitational MSPF Semifinalist, and being the 2024 National Online Forensics Championships Top Speaker. Through her roles as a coach and club leader, she has developed a passion for running and promoting events, reaching many new people all around the world through her work. Addie’s goal in life is to bring a smile to those around her, and she hopes to continue to do that at Peninsula Pathways Debate.
