Summer 2026
Summer Camp
Public Forum debate intensive—argumentation, research, and speaking—for students ready to level up over one or two focused weeks in August.
Program schedule
We're currently finalizing details of the 2026 summer camp. Tentative camp dates are listed below. Completing the interest form helps us plan cohorts and match your child to the right experience.
Tuition Fee
$449.99
Morning: 9:30–12:00
Afternoon: 12:45–3:15
Full Day: 9:30–3:15
About this session
The first opening week introduces students to the basics of debate. This week is recommended for students who've had no prior debate experience before or want to refresh their knowledge of how PF debate works. Lessons will consist of case/argument writing and the purpose of the rebuttal, summary, and final focus speeches. Students will also be taught how to be an effective negotiator during crossfires and how to perceptually gain the upper hand in high pressure situations. This lays the groundwork for more advanced strategies that guarantee wins taught in Session 2.
Tuition Fee
$449.99
Morning: 9:30–12:00
Afternoon: 12:45–3:15
Full Day: 9:30–3:15
About this session
Session 2 focuses on building upon the understanding of how speeches work from Session 1 and how to gain "round vision", i.e. a comprehensive understanding of how arguments are interacting with each other. This second layer of debate requires students not just to make arguments, but be able to weigh the value each word brings to the round. Given a debate only has 26 minutes of speech time, deciding on the most important arguments to be made is a decision that can win or lose a round. The end of Session 2 will also host an in-camp tournament where students can show off everything they've learned!
Tuition Fee
$799.99
Morning: 9:30–12:00
Afternoon: 12:45–3:15
Full Day: 9:30–3:15
About this session
The dual session option is created for students who want to go from zero to a hundred as a debater in a short amount of time. For students who plan to attend debate tournaments during the season, dual session participation is a perfect entry ramp into honing in on their skills before the Harvard Debate Season Opener at the end of August.
Lab tracks
Same three tracks run across sessions—choose a tab to read how each level is structured.
Beginner Lab
The beginner lab is the largest lab at Delta Debate and welcomes all students who've had zero debate experience before. This lab teaches students the structure of Public Forum debate and ensures students can have a structured and productive debate round. This lab is mainly to build confidence in debate for students while still having a balanced fun summer!
Student Life
Four parts of the day—from lecture to labs—designed for depth, feedback, and balance.
8:00 AM – 9:10 AM
Daily Lecture
Each day a lecture is given to students discussing a new aspect, strategy, and technique of debate. Topics get progressively more advanced as the week progresses, challenging students to stay on their feet by incorporating what they learn daily into a comprehensive understanding of debate.
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Debate Drills and Practice
Students put the morning lecture into practice by giving timed speeches incorporating new techniques each day. After each attempt, coaches give personalized feedback, students revise their strategy, and give a redo speech. Each rep sharpens delivery, structure, and refutation until perfection.
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Lunch and Recreation
A full hour to eat, get fresh air, and spend time with friends. Breaking up the day helps students reset mentally so they return to the afternoon ready to focus.
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Private Lab Instruction
Students are split up into small groups based on their skill level, led by individual lab leaders. During lab time, students engage in skill-level-based lectures, debrief on the morning instruction, and have office hours to prepare on a chosen debate topic.