Our Story & Impact

“They’re taking black excellence in academia to another level.” - Atlanta Tribune: The Magazine

OVER 500 LOCAL STUDENTS IMPACTED

Mission Statement

Born from the nationally-acclaimed Harvard Debate Council Diversity Project, the Veritas School of Social Sciences is a college preparatory institute whose core curriculum is taught through the lens of social impact. Veritas employs college-level academic disciplines to develop the next generation of underrepresented innovators and leaders who are committed to being champions of equity.

5 Years, $5 Million Campaign

Make the dream come true.

Our Philosophies

“Tikkun Olam” (Hebrew)

Repairing the world

“Docemus Aequitatem” (Latin)

We teach equity

We do not learn for the sake of knowing. We learn for the sake of doing. We learn how to use our gifts to repair the world.

What is veritas?

Our Why

Too often, Black and brown youth are not given access to high-quality educational opportunities that will make them competitive for college admissions and the workforce. This opportunity gap creates an achievement gap that swells into the racial wealth gap that we see in America. We are closing that gap and creating generational wealth by positioning Black and brown youth to become high earners and contributors.

Making a Difference?

Our Impact

Class of 2018

Class of 2019

Class of 2020

Class of 2021

Class of 2022

Class of 2023

Over 150 Atlanta Students + Ivy League & Elite Education =

Collective Earning Potential of 10,000,000/yr. in 25 years…

2500 Students = $2.5 BILLION in the Black Community

How it Started?

Our History

The Veritas School of Social Sciences was born from the nationally acclaimed Harvard Debate Council Diversity Project (HDCDP). HDCDP was founded in 2017 by Brandon P. Fleming, award-winning author, educator, and former assistant debate coach at Harvard College. Fleming founded the pipeline to create access for Black youth to study and compete in Harvard Debate Council’s annual summer residential program. The initiative was designed to level the playing field for Black youth by equipping them with higher-level academic training that will position them to be competitive in college admissions and the workforce.

For five years, HDCDP was widely lauded for its achievements. Since 2017, all five cohorts of HDCDP won the Harvard Debate Council’s international academic debate competition for five consecutive years – outperforming hundreds of gifted youth from over 25 countries around the world. As a result, HDCDP alumni have been accepted in the top colleges & universities in the world.

Fleming decided to scale HDCDP into the Veritas School of Social Sciences, which will include one of the first secondary boarding schools in the world for multicultural people of color.

Our Future

3 Phases of Scale

The program’s unparalleled success and growing demand created a need for scale. To give more youth and educators around the world access to HDCDP’s life-changing educational model, Fleming decided to scale HDCDP into The Veritas School of Social Sciences, which will be one of the first secondary boarding schools in the world for multicultural people of color. Veritas is scaling in three phases: 

Phase One

Veritas will continue operating as a Saturday school called Veritas Debate Institute, which culminates with the summer debate residency at Harvard.

Phase Two

Veritas will launch its day school component for students in Metro Atlanta (projected Fall 2024).

Phase Three

Veritas will launch its international boarding component (project Fall 2028).

Our Programs

Veritas Debate Institute (Saturday School & Harvard)

Our 50 scholars attend Saturday school in Atlanta every week for an entire year. They are introduced to higher-level academic disciplines that are designed to prepare them for the rigors of Harvard Debate Council’s summer residential program where they compete against gifted youth from around the world.

The Veritas Way Educator Training Program

As professional development for K-12 educators, we invite educators to experience our classroom live and in action. We equip them with tools to take back to their schools and classrooms our innovative teaching strategies that have proven to increase student engagement and performance.

Alumni College & Workforce Readiness

Our staff and board help guide our scholars through the college admissions process and provide a network of professionals who assist in workforce development.

Global Travel Program

We use immersive travel and experiential learning opportunities to provide our scholars access and exposure to the world in order to make them compassionate, learned, and global-minded leaders.

Community Workshop for Metro Atlanta Youth

Our community of over 100 alumni consists of scholars who are still in high school and scholars who have matriculated to college. The years following their HDCDP academic program year are about service. Our alumni 1.) serve the organization by teaching the next cohort, and 2.) serve the community by teaching public speaking, debate, and civics workshops to area youth.

Business Executives (Corporate Professional Development)

Our scholars use their Veritas training to engage business leaders in the art of critical thinking and public speaking, equipping them with impactful tools for problem-solving and salesmanship. Our scholars also help businesses understand how to appeal to the Gen Z market.