Prepare for success with top coaches and students across North America this summer!
Season: July 4-16 Season: August 8-20
Intrinsic Debate Institute (IDI) is an international speech and debate summer camp powered by Vancouver Debate Academy (VDA). Our staff of elite, award-winning coaches from Canada and United States take pride in offering a one-of-a-kind experience that prioritizes teamwork, communication, leadership, and self-driven learning that will inspire lifelong skills for success.
IDI strongly believes in connecting students to the real world by exploring career options, professional interests, and personal identities through debate and speech training. As such, our institute features a brilliant lineup of guest speakers who will share their professional experiences with students each day of the camp.
The IDI offers two-week sessions of full-day, focused training where students will learn from coaches who have won at the highest levels and build relationships with top competitors from across North America. Our rich curriculum incorporates team-building activities and critical thinking games with traditional speech and debate workshops, providing an inspiring experience for students of all levels!
“The people at VDA are remarkably intelligent and I take pride in learning from them and hopefully surpassing some. VDA is a community of debaters that strive to be better debaters than they were last week, and these are the types of learning communities I enjoy the most. ”
-VDA Student William H. –
Programs Offered
Debate
Public Forum
Interpretation Events
Dramatic Interp, Humorous Interp, Program Oral Interp, Duo Interp
Platform Events
Original Oratory, Informative Speaking
Limited Prep
Extemporaneous Speaking
Summer Camp Dates
Have a fun, ascending, and inspiring summer with top-tier coaches and enthusiastic students!
Session 1
July 4-16 (M-Sat)
Session 2
August 8-20 (M-Sat)
Programs Description
- 27+ Public Forum instructors
- Championship level senior instructors in each lab
- Numerous practice rounds & end of camp tournament with high-quality judging
- Learn from state and national champions
- Online program ensures a balance between learning, rest, and fun
- Chance to meet life-long friends
- Opportunity to work with each instructor
- Dedication to teaching flow and lay debate
- Develop life-long critical thinking, organization, persuasion and communication skills
- Commitment to teaching all levels (novice, intermediate, advanced) & debate styles
- Flexible, tailored, and personable to student needs
- Financial assistance provided to those in need
- $500 off Earlybird Discount!
At IDI, we believe POI needs personalized coaching meant to focus on the basic interpretation skills and the necessary research components. This is why throughout the camp, you will learn:
- How to choose a topic important to you
- Tips to finding unique and impactful literature
- How to make a map of your piece
- How to cut literature to fit your message
- How to write an impactful introduction
- How to diversify your voices and characters
- How to chunk your POI to flow between scenes
- How to build your informative character
- What it takes to extend your metaphor character
- Why it is important to maintain humor/relief and where to add it
- How to create a long-lasting climax
- How to end your piece in a memorable way
At IDI, we believe Original Oratory needs to function with personalized coaching meant to focus on the basic Oratory skills. This is why throughout the camp, you will learn:
- The varying oratory structures
- How to present the speaking style most fit for you
- How to choose a topic you care about
- How to add personal connections to your speech
- How to craft a well-written introduction
- What it takes to identify the problem
- How to find data that supports your points
- Why it is important to speak beyond the basic solutions
- How to make an impactful 7-Minute Moment
- The steps to ending your speech on an impactful note
- How to incorporate humor throughout your speech
At IDI, we believe Informative Speaking needs to function with personalized coaching meant to focus on the basic Info skills. This is why throughout the camp, you will learn:
- How to choose a meaningful topic
- The importance of including humor and where to do it
- How to craft a personalized introduction
- What resources to use for research and how to find them
- Why it is important to include meaningful transitions
- How to direct your background point to fit your topic
- How to choose between applications/misconceptions
- What it takes to develop impactful implications
- The importance of having well-connected visual aids
- How to craft your message
- How to hone in on your speaking abilities/voice diversity
At IDI, we believe Humorous Interp needs to function with personalized coaching meant to focus on the basic interp skills while including humor to share your message. This is why throughout the camp, you will learn:
- How to define a message that is important to you
- How to find literature that you can connect with
- How to cut your piece to match your message
- How to characterize your piece in a way that fits your strong suits
- How to diversify your voices and character portrayal
- What it takes to cut a teaser
- How to make a serious introduction while maintaining humor
- How to follow the 5-Point plot structure
- How to end your piece in a way that is personal to you
- How to pop and where to do it
- How to portray a character’s growth
At IDI, we believe Extemp needs to exist with personalized coaching meant to focus on critical extemp skills. This is why throughout the camp, you will learn:
- How to include humor in your speeches
- The key to a unique Statement of Significance
- How to “answer the question”
- Skills for memorizing
- How to frame data in your points
- How to start diversifying your impacts
- Why it is important to have tag lines and how to make them
- How to construct specific warrants that create deep analysis
- What it means to “choose your style”
- How to take on Cross-Ex from the defensive and offensive position
- Tips to maximize your prep time
At IDI, we believe Duo requires personalized coaching meant to focus on the basic interp skills that allow you to share your message together. This is why throughout the camp, you will learn:
- How to choose a topic important to both team members
- Tips to finding a piece
- How to cut a teaser that introduces the main characters
- How to write an introduction that clarifies the message
- How to find a transition and where to use them
- The importance of scenes and how to clarify them
- Ideas for tech in the pieces that coincide with your piece
- What is expected from a climax from both partners
- How to utilize chunking in your piece to keep the character development
- How to end the piece in an impactful way
At IDI, we believe Dramatic Interp needs to function with personalized coaching meant to focus on the basic interp skills, all while connecting drama to the depiction of your message. This is why throughout the camp, you will learn:
- How to define a message that is important to you
- How to find a piece that you can connect with
- How to cut your piece to match your message
- How to characterize your piece in a way that fits your strong suits
- How to diversify your scenes and emotional levels
- How to write an impactful introduction
- What it takes to cut a teaser
- What to include in your rising action
- Why your climax is so important and how to highlight it
- How to signify your falling action/resolution
- How to end your piece in a way that is personal to you
- How to use your own story in the telling of someone else’s
Daily events
| Pacific Time | Eastern Time | Activity |
| 8:00 – 9:30 | 11:00 – 12:30 | Debate/Speech Master Class |
| 9:30 – 11:00 | 12:30 – 2:00 | Lab & Small Group Session #1 |
| 11:00 – 12:00 | 2:00 – 3:00 | Lunch/Afternoon Break |
| 12:00 – 1:30 | 3:00 – 4:30 | Career Hour with Guest Speakers and Team Building Activities |
| 1:30 – 3:00 | 4:30 – 6:00 | Lab & Small Group Session #2 |
“I love the sense of community VDA offers. The coaches are always eager to help, everyone is incredibly supportive whether you win or lose, and it is a safe place where I won’t be blamed for my mistakes and instead receive constructive criticism.”
-VDA Student Jeanette P. –
Our All-Star Coach Team
Debate Coaches
🔥 Jackie Massey, coached teams to win 4 US national championships
🔥 Bryan Weber, coached teams to numerous championships and speaker awards at top US and international tournaments
🔥 Jennifer Moore, coached teams to US national and state champions in FL and OH
🔥 Nate Conoly, coached teams to win 6 district and 5 state champions
🔥 Stormee Massey, recipient of NSDA Lone Star District Coach of the Year Award
🔥 Nilesh Chander, current coach of Sunvitational champions and 3rd ranked NSDA PF team
Speech Coaches
🔥 Marc Zavarro, Florida State Champion in Extemporaneous Speaking
🔥 Lilian Nguyen, 2021 NSDA Dramatic Interpretation Finalist
🔥 Molly Burke, 2022 Ohio State Champion in Informative Speaking
Camp Tuition
Tuition fee includes:
✅ One-on-One Sessions with current and former champions
✅ Practice rounds with top competitors across the country
✅ Labs run by event leaders from all over the nation
✅ Access to a wide bank of resources for piece selection
✅ Feedback from an assortment of events meant to give a wide range of critiques
✅ Access to guest speakers from across the nation
✅ Connections to top-tier coaches that can be contacted year-round
Need financial assistance to attend camp?
To apply for financial aid, students should send an email to intrinsicdebateinstitute@gmail.com containing a letter from the student’s parents/guardians indicating the level of financial need. Parents need to indicate total family income (combined).
All financial aid decisions will be made on a rolling, case-by-case basis. While we can’t guarantee that all requests will be accepted, we welcome your application and will do our best to meet all students’ needs.
“Debate has made me a more confident individual who can have a full conversation with a stranger on the road. Through debate, I’ve seen how much progress I’ve made over the years and how much further I can go. From finding a piece of evidence for a friend to mentoring students at their first tournaments, debate has given me an opportunity to give back to the community and to discover my place in the world. This, combined with all the knowledge and skills I’ve attained, has made debate an unforgettable journey. ”
-VDA Student Dasnoor K. –
Difference between VDA Full-Day & Half-Day Camp
| What you get from VDA summer camps | Full-Day Camp | Half-Day Camp |
|---|---|---|
| US and CA Awarding Winning Champion Coaches |  | |
| Individualized training and feedback for every student | | |
| Helps students to reach the next level in speech and debate | For students of all levels (foundations, intermediate, and advanced) | Only for foundations and intermediate students |
| Incorporate fun and high-engaging games into all classes | | |
| Skills-focused debate program that helps students develop critical thinking, public speaking, research, and analysis skills. | | |
| Earlybird discount before May 15th! | | |
| US-style competitive speech programs including Program Oral Interp, Original Oratory, Informative Speaking, Humorous Interp, Extemp Speaking, Duo Interp, and Dramatic Interp | |  |
| Lots of sessions to choose from that gives students a flexible summer schedule | | |
| 1 hour of team-building games everyday | | |
| Inspiring guest speakers who are leading experts in their professional field | | |
| In-person classes for students in Vancouver, Canada | | |
| Earn BC high school elective credits (BC students only, Grade 9 and up) | | |
| $10 trial class for new students | | |
| Register Now | Learn More |
Frequent Asked Questions
Because IDI ensures your student’s long-term success in the classroom and the outside world. Our instructors with years of experience bring up students virtually with zero public speaking skills to one day become a National Champion. So ask yourself, do you want to become the next national champion? IDI will help you move one step closer to that goal.
IDI not only brings you top coaches. But also leaders in the professional world. Guest speakers with deep knowledge of public policy, foreign policy, diversity and inclusion. We not only want your students to achieve debate success but also how they present themselves in the professional setting.
Yes. Debate anywhere is fun. But here at IDI, we take pride in having a curriculum that incorporates team-building activities and fun games with speech & debate and will help meet the standards in the online setting.
Speech and debate will help you in so many areas in your life. It gives an opportunity to develop critical thinking, organization, persuasion and communication.
Please click here for camp policies.
More questions about IDI’s summer debate camp? Contact us at intrinsicdebateinstitute@gmail.com
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