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CAMPER AGES: 10-18
TYPE OF CAMP: Overnight/Sleepaway. Day Camp.
CAMPER GENDER(S): Coed Campers.
BRIEF CAMP DESCRIPTION: MDAW is a collaborative effort between The Minnesota Urban Debate League (a program of Augsburg University) and The University of Minnesota Debate Team. Our goal is to increase access to debate for schools, coaches, and students entering 6th – 12th grade by providing a high quality summer speech & debate camp experience to students in the Twin Cities Metro and the Upper Midwest region.
CAMP INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES OFFERED:
Theater, Academics, and more. Policy Debate, Congressional Debate, & Speech
CAMP LOCATION: We are located on Augsburg University's campus in the heart of Minneapolis. Please visit our website for more information.
CAMP PROGRAM INFO: MDAW’s Format Encourages Skill-Building.
MDAW offers instructional workshops tailored to specific age groups. We work with area educators to provide a comprehensive curriculum that readies students at every level with evidence and skills for the next debate season.
MDAW Students Get TONS of Practice.
We offer practice debates and skill-building drills nearly every day of camp. Middle school students find friendly competition in a full length debate at the end of their weekly sessions – so students can get a feel for the tournament experience. For high school students each session offers a number of full-length debates throughout their camp stay. In addition to this, staff facilitate re-dos, provide feedback, and create concrete steps for the student to continue improvement while at camp, carrying those skills into the competitive season.
MDAW Faculty Work Hard.
We have incredibly experienced, talented folks working with students on a day-to-day basis. We make sure that students are exposed to a variety of styles while ensuring they can focus on skills and strategies they’ll use throughout the year. Our goal is to attract the best talent to our workshop so that students who attend MDAW will be prepared to have a successful season and build community.
MDAW is Budget Conscious.
Our workshop operates on a not-for-profit basis. We run MDAW out of a desire to increase local opportunities for excellent debate instruction, not to make money. Tuition and room/board expenses are pegged to cost of running the workshop and providing fair salaries for staff. Scholarships are available, so don’t hesitate to contact us even though financial constraints may be a problem. We are committed to making sure no student is prevented from attending due to challenging economic circumstances, to the extent possible.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have.
CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS OR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: Full and partial scholarships are available.
CAMP SESSION DATES & FEES:
MIDDLE SCHOOL POLICY DEBATE CAMP
Is your student curious about how laws are made? Are they passionate about current affairs? Come to middle school policy debate camp and they can build their advocacy and leadership skills, while learning about the upcoming debate topic for the 2020-2021 school year. Middle school students entering 6th – 8th grade learn how to research and develop effective arguments, and have lots of practice debates and skill sessions. Students will build skills, work as a team, and make new friends!
Runs: Monday June 22, 2020 – Friday June 26, 2020
Fees: $300
MIDDLE SCHOOL SPEECH CAMP
Your student will become an effective and confident public speaker after attending middle school speech camp. Each day, students will learn leadership strategies while mastering specific skills to help them craft and deliver persuasive, informative, and entertaining speeches to audiences of all ages. Students who attend will excel in all academic courses and activities in which they have to present to diverse groups of people.
Your student will be instructed by a Nationally Board Certified Teacher who has also been Accredited by the National Speech and Debate Association as an Advanced Professional Speech and Debate Educator.
Runs: Monday July 6, 2020 – Friday July 10, 2020
Fees: $300
MIDDLE SCHOOL CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE CAMP
Your student will learn to successfully debate with civility in an academic setting and gain the soft skills necessary to build consensus among people with diverse opinions after attending middle school congressional debate camp. Students will gain research, writing, and presentation skills that build from what they learned in Middle School Speech Camp (attending speech camp is helpful, but not a prerequisite). Each day students will learn strategies and best practices to help them grow as empathic listeners who can adapt messages to meet the needs of diverse audiences. Students will also learn how to respond to and successfully refute opposing arguments. After attending MDAW’s middle school congressional debate camp, students will be prepared to excel in academic courses in which they need to research, write, present, and defend positions.
Your student will be instructed by a Nationally Board Certified Teacher who has also been Accredited by the National Speech and Debate Association as an Advanced Professional Speech and Debate Educator.
Runs: Monday July 13, 2020 – Friday July 17, 2020
Fees: $300
HIGH SCHOOL CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE CAMP
MDAW’s Congressional Debate Camp is designed to help congressional debate students gain competitive success at the local and national level. Students will grow as leaders while they learn strategies and techniques to help them develop the hard skills of congressional debate (research, writing, delivery, and round strategy). Students also learn the soft skills of congressional debate (being empathic listeners, promoting dockets, gaining consensus among peers, and learning to read judges).
Debaters will also learn advanced research techniques as well as how to craft legislation that debaters will vote onto the docket. Campers will work directly with Ross Eichele of Eagan High School, who has coached state champions; as well as finalists at NSDA nationals, Harvard, Glenbrooks, Berkely, MinneApple, and the Blake tournament. He is accredited by the National Speech and Debate Association as an Advanced Professional Speech and Debate Educator and Coach, and is also a Nationally Board Certified Teacher. A camp tournament and awards ceremony will be held on the last day.
Runs: Sunday June 28, 2020 – Friday July 3, 2020
Costs:
Residential – $675 includes 3 meals, 2 person occupancy in dorm, and MDAW t-shirt
Commuter – $475 – includes 2 meals (lunch and dinner) and MDAW t-shirt
HIGH SCHOOL NATIONAL TOPIC POLICY DEBATE
Minnesota Debate and Advocacy Workshop (MDAW) has provided high school national topic policy debate summer camp for 17 years. MDAW is a partnership between the Minnesota Urban Debate League (a program of Augsburg University) and the University of Minnesota Debate Team. What sets the MDAW apart from other policy debate camps? Community. MDAW believes strongly in the importance of developing positive relationships between staff and students – along with growing our own leadership. The vast majority of our staff were participants themselves in MDAW.
The other core principle of the MDAW experience is that debate is learned by doing. Students will have a practice debate almost every day at camp. MDAW is where we learn new arguments, research new topics, and try-on new ideas. Camp experience also includes a camp tournament and awards ceremony.
Policy Debate Camp Option #1
EXTENDED (for advanced students):
Advanced instruction on the NSDA topic, including leadership training, argument preparation, and speaking skills, focused on national-level competition. Students will develop their leadership skills and become leaders in camp and be prepared to take on leadership experiences with their school team.
We encourage beginning students to consider the ‘Core’ session to start.
Runs: Saturday June 27, 2020 – Friday July 3, 2020
Cost for Extended session only:
Residential – $900 – includes 3 meals, 2 person occupancy in dorm, and MDAW t-shirt
Commuter $775 – includes 2 meals (lunch and dinner) and MDAW t-shirt.
Policy Debate Camp Option #2
CORE (for beginning and intermediate students):
Preparation for competition on the NSDA national topic, including research, skills development, strategy, and critiqued practice speeches & debates. Daily schedule includes topic lectures by licensed teachers, university instructors, and mentorship by college students. Students bolster their research skills in computer labs and research groups and have daily speeches and skill building development.
Advanced students may join this session as camp leaders.
Runs: Sunday July 5, 2020 – Wednesday July 15, 2020
Costs for Core Session Only:
Residential – $1625 – includes 3 meals, 2 person occupancy in dorm, and MDAW t-shirt
Commuter $1350 – includes 2 meals (lunch and dinner) and MDAW t-shirt.
Be sure to check each camp listing under INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES OFFERED for the range of Special Interest Activities and Programs provided by each Minnesota Summer Camp or Summer Recreation Program.
Many Minnesota Day and Sleepaway Camps offer professional level instruction in a wide-range of activities, from Horseback Riding, to Computers & Technology, to Performing Arts, to Leadership.
For a complete List of Minnesota Special Interest Summer Camps & Summer Recreation Programs scroll down to the big black bar at the very bottom of this page.
You can go directly to any of our 2025 Special Interest Camp Directories from the list in the black bar at the bottom of this page.
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