Debate


Victory Briefs

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Philadelphia: This two-week session takes place from June 24th to July 7th at Swarthmore College In Pennsylvania. It is open to Public Forum and Lincoln-Douglas debaters and is suitable for debaters of all experience levels, circuits, and competitive ambitions.It is especially recommended for students looking for a smaller environment with more individualized attention. 

San Francisco: This two-week session takes place from July 14th to July 27th at University of San Diego in California. It is open to Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas, and World Schools debaters and is suitable for debaters of all experience levels, circuits, and competitive ambitions. It is especially recommended for students looking for a smaller environment with more individualized attention. 

Los Angeles: This two-week session takes place from July 30th to August 12th at the University of California Los Angeles. It is open to Public Forum and Lincoln-Douglas debaters and is suitable for debaters of all experience levels, circuits, and competitive ambitions. It is especially recommended for students looking to get a head start on the September/October 2023 topics, which will be used during the second week of the session. The final week is our September/October topic workshop, which will be singularly focused on preparing for the Sept/Oct 2023 topic.

Cal National Debate Institute

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The California National Debate Institute is the premier summer camp on the West Coast for improving your speaking and debating skills. We have a variety of programs tailored to every experience level, whether you’re a complete novice or a nationally competitive debater with years of experience. Join us this summer and level-up your speaking and debate skills! CNDI will be in-person in Berkeley for the summer of 2024.

U Miami hurricane debate institute – Public Speaking and Argumentation

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The primary goal of the Public Speaking and Argumentation program is to empower students through public expression to become better thinkers, speakers, writers, listeners, and leaders. Students in this program will explore and develop their thinking and speaking skills through games and exercises involving public speaking (impromptu and prepared), as well as group problem-solving and discussion. Students will be exposed to and learn various formal styles of debate (e.g., Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, and Policy Debate) as well as other communication based activities. Students will learn to cope with speaking anxieties, to organize and support their ideas, to critically evaluate and respond appropriately to the ideas of others, and to deliver effective messages. While the format and content will not directly prepare students to participate in competitive debate or forensics, it may serve as a precursor to such participation. This program is appropriate for students of all ages, but especially rising 9th-12th graders.

Also available for rising 6th-8th graders.

U Miami hurricane debate institute – Public forum

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The Public Forum program will prepare students to participate and be successful in competitive debate through a combination of instruction and practice debates. Students will learn how to construct briefs, deliver the most persuasive speeches, and research effectively. Students will debate a variety of topics throughout the institute. More important than instruction, students will have the ability to debate and receive feedback from a number of experienced debate coaches. This will help students as they can work on the skills necessary to become successful debaters.

This program is appropriate for beginner or novice students of all ages, but especially rising 9th-12th graders.

The Debate Institutes at Dartmouth

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The DDI is a program for experienced policy debaters with at least a full year of high school debate experience. Now in its fourth decade, the DDI has produced national champions at the high school and collegiate level. Most attendees are entering their junior or senior year; it may be appropriate for sophomores with a strong record.

Stanford National Forensic Institute 

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SNFI Middle School programs prepare middle school students for competitive speech and debate in local leagues and prepares them to enter high school level debate events.  The skills honed in SNFI programs aid students in their academic classwork as they prepare for a rigorous pre-college academic track in high school.  Speech and debate hone many of the most imporant skills needed for a successful professional career in the contemporary world: public speaking, research skills, thinking under pressure, and how to apply analytical approaches to complex problems. Note: we do not accept international students for any of our middle school sessions.