High School Debate Camps

Registration for 2025 is open!

• 2-week Policy Debate Institute: June 1-14, 2025 ($2,200 resident; $1,850 commuter)
  

  • This is our signature program, which we have offered since the Emory National Debate Institute was founded in 1966.  The majority of the students attending the ENDI will attend this session tailored to the experience level of the student - from students with no debate experience to those who have been debating for a few years.

  • Students will learn about and have their first debates on the 2025-2026 high school policy resolution. 

  • If your student cannot attend the entirety of the camp, please email emorydebateinstitute@gmail.com or call 678-205-6281 to discuss with camp administrator; we will most likely be able to work with you.
    
    
• Feedback from last year's campers:
  
  • "This camp has taught me more about Policy than I've learned in a year of debate."
    
    
  • "My lab leaders were kind, funny, understanding, and very helpful and great to work with. I felt comfortable asking questions and they provided an environment that I could best learn in."
    
    
  • "The non-debate selectives [in the evenings] were so fun and a great way to connect with others. I tend to be very shy but you would never guess that during the opportunities offered here. They always brought me out of my shell and pushed me out of my comfort zone in an exciting and non embarrassing or stressful way. I will always take the social skills I learned and apply them to my life, especially because making friends or 'fitting in' has always been an issue for me until I came to this camp."
    
    
  • "I met so many cool people and had a great two weeks nerding out about policy debate."
    
    
  • "This has been the best policy debate experience of my life. I made incredible friends and began to develop skills that I am sure will benefit me for years to come."

Emory University is one of the top 25 Universities in the United States and the Barkley Forum is one of nation’s most successfully competitive intercollegiate debate teams for the last fifty years.

Hands-on Experience with Pre-college Students

• The ENDI has taught over 5,000 high school students debate skills since 1966
• Since 1985, Emory staff and students have been teaching debate to high school students as a principle founder and partner of the Atlanta Urban Debate League
• In 1995, the ENDI began teaching middle school students how to debate.  Now over 600 middle school students attend tournaments and teaching sessions under the leadership of Emory faculty, staff, and students
• To this day, Emory staff and students regularly work with nearly a thousand high school and middle school students throughout the school year in classrooms, practice rounds, and tournaments
• Our experience with middle school students helps these students transition to high school debate as they mature into experienced debaters

 Unique Opportunities at Emory University

• Regardless of your debate experience, you will have the opportunity to work closely with one of Emory’s full-time debate coaches and nationally competitive college debaters
• While focused on skill development, our staff are looking to provide you with the opportunity to grow in the future as well as achieve success in the upcoming year