Debate Summer Workshop
The Damien Debate Summer Workshop is an opportunity for middle-school students as well as returning debate students to spend a portion of their summer developing and improving their debate skills. We understand that summer is a busy time. The workshop is designed to work around weekends, major holidays, and family obligations, with two tiers of attendance as well as flexibility for out-of-town holiday and other time off. The workshop will be taught by our Damien’s national-championship coaches and assisted by recent graduates who have achieved a variety of state-level and national-level debate accolades.
Students who participate in this program will:
• Gain a strong understanding of the fundamentals of policy debate
• Improve their public speaking and gain skills applicable in a variety of contexts
• Develop cross-curriculum skills in argumentation and research
• Gain a strong understanding of the fundamentals of policy debate
• Improve their public speaking and gain skills applicable in a variety of contexts
• Develop cross-curriculum skills in argumentation and research
Students who participate in the summer program enter their novice season better prepared for their first season of debate. Alumni of our summer workshop have won multiple local and national level championships in the Novice division, including the 1st year National Championship in 2023. Incoming Damien students will enter prepared to excel in the 9th grade Honors Debate class.
3-DAY PROGRAM
The 3-day program is perfect for students who are just beginning to dip their toes into competitive debate. This program will cover the fundamentals of public speaking, as well as an introduction to the format of competitive policy debate. Students will spend their time learning the how-to of competing in formal debate and about this year’s upcoming debate topic: intellectual property rights.
Tuesdays through Thursdays from 1:30 p.m.-5 p.m. $600.
5-DAY PROGRAM
The 5-day program is ideal for students who have previous experience with another format of public speaking or debate, or those who are especially interested in debate. Students in the 5-day program will receive additional time and instruction from workshop staff with a focus on application of the material, designed to give the student practical skills in competition, whether at the novice high school level or in middle school debate. Students will have the opportunity to participate in numerous practice debates, attend workshops on specialized subjects, and learn how to conduct efficient research and other debate prep.
With days that run the same length as Damien summer school and hours starting after summer school ends, this program is ideal for a student taking summer courses for advancement to also get a head start on their frosh Honors Debate.
Mondays through Fridays from 1:30 p.m.-5 p.m. $900.
ADVANCED STUDENT PROGRAM
The 3-day and 5-day programs are designed for introductory level students. The advanced student program is designed for students who have already spent some time on the debate team, who are returning after a previous year at the workshop, or who are already experienced at policy debate. Students in this program will build on the current experiences and prepare them for the season ahead. Whether the student is a returning novice debater or varsity debater, this program is appropriate for them and will be customized to the student’s needs. Designed to fit with students’ other summer plans, the program will incorporate a level of traditional classroom instruction on core topics but also include independent assignments and feedback tailored to the student’s experience. Asynchronous and online options for students that cannot attend daily. The ultimate goal of this program is to prepare a student who is unable to attend longer traditional camps the summer experience necessary to be reach elimination rounds of major national tournaments, which will prepare them to be competitive for various college scholarships.
Tuesdays through Thursdays from 1:30 p.m.-5 p.m. plus online. $600.
Chris Paredes, Director of Debate | 909-596-1946
Nethmin Liyanage, Policy Debate Coach | 909-596-1946