About the Women’s Debate Institute

Why WDI?

The Women’s Debate Institute is a tuition-free camp that provides young women the opportunity to be a part of a strong community of women who love debate. At the WDI,  high school girls have the opportunity to learn policy and Lincoln-Douglas debate skills from some of the top female debaters in the country. Working one-on-one with former NDT and CEDA winners gives girls the competitive edge they need to be successful debaters.  The WDI also teaches students what it means to be a woman in debate and exposes girls to the rich community of women in this activity. Furthermore, our “College Seminar” gives each student the opportunity to learn how to make higher education a reality, regardless of their current situation.

Why Attend?

At WDI you will have:

  • Four days of access to top minds in both high school and collegiate debate.
  • An unparalleled student to staff ratio of less than 3:1.
  • An amazing community of women who love debate.
  • Direct interaction with outstanding staff to develop positions.
  • A college prep seminar that prepares you to apply to college.
  • An honest forum which discusses some of the unique challenges that young women face in debate and ways to tackle those challenges.

Our Four Sequences

Each student will be placed in one of our four sequences:

LD Development Sequence
This sequence is for students who have one year or more of local LD debate experience, but due to financial or other circumstances, have been unable to attend a summer debate camp prior to the WDI.

Policy Development Sequence
This sequence is for students who have a year or more of local policy debate experience, but due to financial or other circumstances, have been unable to attend a non-UDL summer debate camp.  This sequence will emphasize foundational information about this year’s topic and key positions.  Students can develop and hone the skills necessary to succeed, including cross-examination, research and speaking.

L-D Enrichment Sequence
This sequence is for students who have a year or more of regional or national circuit LD debate experience, and who have had the opportunity to attend a summer debate institute lasting one week or longer.

Policy Enrichment Sequence
This sequence is for students who have a year or more of regional or national circuit policy debate experience, and who have had the opportunity to attend a non-UDL summer debate institute lasting one week or longer.  This sequence will emphasize building students’ skills by providing focused sessions with top-level college debaters and national coaches. Students can refine the skills and arguments they have developed at other camps with a better staff to student ratio than any other debate institute in the country.

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