Welcome! We are so excited to be back IN PERSON for Team Policy debate coaching. We cannot wait to welcome new and returning families to camp.
Who: Interested homeschooled students aged 12 – 18 by September 1, 2021 together with their parent chaperone. Whether your student is just exploring the idea of debate or seeks to build on competition experience from previous years, our coaching staff will meet students at their level from beginning to advanced.
When: 9 am-5 pm Monday, August 9 – Thursday, August 12.
Where: Community Baptist Church of Groton, 940 Gold Star Hwy, Groton, CT
Cost: $160 for the first student and $145 for each additional sibling student
Register below, or scroll down for more details!
What to bring: Each student should bring a laptop, an 8 ½ X 14-inch legal pad, a digital timepiece, and preferred writing utensils. Parents will also benefit from note-taking.
Meals: Each attendee should bring his or her own lunch each day. Each family should also bring a snack to share.
Why debate?
Debate helps develop foundational life skills. It sharpens logic, reasoning, and critical thinking skills. It provides students with a framework in which to make sound decisions. It trains students to articulate their thoughts in a persuasive and winsome, God-glorifying manner. Students learn to analyze and solve real-world problems. They learn to understand both sides of an argument and argue against ideas instead of arguing against people. They learn to work together with their opponent to slay bad logic and reveal truth. Students learn to research and synthesize interdisciplinary information from subjects like government, economics, civics, history, statistics, geography, and philosophy to construct compelling arguments to communicate to their audience. Beyond building competitive debate skills, this camp will help students improve the thinking, analysis, research, and writing skills valued by colleges, employers, and society.
Why the New England Debate Camp?
Since debate is best learned by doing, our camp relies heavily on workshops aimed at getting your student practicing skills right away. Led by some of the National Christian Forensics and Communications Association (NCFCA) finest alumni and current debaters, the camp will introduce new students to the basics of debate and challenge experienced debaters in more advanced debate theory and strategy. For new students, this is the place to discover and explore debate. For experienced debaters, it is the place to hone your competitive skills. Our deep bench of coaches will meet you at your level and take you to the next!
Why must I chaperone my student?
While this helps us to keep costs low, you will also learn how to support your student as well as how to help provide helpful feedback to students. Workshops designed just for parents will also help you get to know more about NCFCA and build confidence in judging. Be prepared to sit in on student workshops and parent workshops.
What is the difference between Lincoln Douglas and Team Policy Debate?
Lincoln Douglas is a values-based debate between two opponents. It focuses on the values that underlie national policy decisions. Team Policy is argued between two opposing two-person teams and focuses on a policy challenge currently facing our nation or world.
Questions: Contact Brenda Storz at newenglanddebate@gmail.com; (845)467-0694