SpeakOut NC is looking forward to another great season. Please read carefully through the following information and pray about whether this club might be for your family.

Joining SpeakOut

• Affiliation and Beliefs: SpeakOut NC families must join Colonial Homeschoolers and affiliate with the NCFCA.  You must be willing to agree with and support NCFCA’s Statements of Faith. In addition, SpeakOut families should be active participants in an evangelical, Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church.
• Background Check: All adults will be required to sign a “Background Check Authorization Statement” which allows Colonial Baptist to run a criminal background check for security purposes.  This is required for all adults who work with students meeting at Colonial Baptist Church.  The processing fee will be covered by Colonial Baptist Church.
• New Families: New families wishing to join SpeakOut must attend the SpeakOut Informational Meeting prior to registration.
• Club Meetings: Club meetings will be held on Wednesday afternoons from 2:30-5:00 at Colonial Baptist Church in Cary.  Parents are required to attend each meeting with their student and to serve the entire time. Parents will be provided with instruction and training before being plugged into a role of service during club.  The Junior Club meets on the same weeks as the Speech Club.  There is no Junior Club on Debate weeks.
• Tournament Requirement: Competition is used as a means of achieving our mission. Therefore, we require all students and parents to participate in a 1-day practice tournament in the fall and a 3-day NCFCA-sanctioned tournament in the Spring. The Spring tournament is usually held locally but it may require out-of-state travel. Parents will help run the tournament and will be expected to remain on campus to serve throughout the entire tournament while their children are competing.
• Age requirement: SpeakOut students must be ages 13-18 as of September 1, 2016. A junior SpeakOut club will be offered for SIBLINGS ONLY of registered and active SpeakOut students.  The age requirement for the Junior SpeakOut club is ages 7-12 as of September 1, 2016.
• Parent Pledge: When you register, you will be asked to agree with the Parent Pledge. Agreement with this pledge is required
• Student Pledge: When you register, you will be asked if your student(s) agree with the Student Pledge. Agreement with this pledge is required.

Participation

It’s important to know that SpeakOut NC is not just for students!  We operate as a co-op. Parents play a vital role in the success of our students and our organization.  As such, club parents are required to participate in the weekly meetings, training sessions, tournaments, committees and other Club activities. Note: It is not our desire to exclude any family from participation in SpeakOut NC because of younger children.  If your young children would prevent you from being involved, and that is the only condition preventing your participation, please contact us.

Costs

SpeakOut Registration fees

• Please check back for the 2016-2017 fee structure.

NCFCA affiliation fees

In addition, families will need to affiliate with the NCFCA.  Fees are typically $100 per family, with an early-bird discount of $15, if paid prior to Sept.15.

Tournament fees

Parents should expect some additional costs when it’s time to register for an NCFCA-sponsored tournament.  Costs typically run from $20 to over $100 per student depending on the extent to which the student chooses to compete.

Please contact us directly if you feel that the costs associated with SpeakOut would prohibit your family from participating.