About Camp

Speech Program

The speech curriculum is focused on teaching students valuable public speaking skills. Every student will learn how to:

• Speak with confidence to an audience
• Persuasively develop and present a point with concision and clarity
• Write a public speech or cut an interpretive script
• Develop stronger interpersonal connections
• Learn and practice qualities of a good speech (i.e., argumentation, concision and clarity, persuasive elements, etc.) and speaker (i.e., eye contact, posture, pace, volume, etc.)

During lab sessions, students will:

• Deliver speeches on a variety of topics
• Prepare either an interpretive or oratorical speech and present them to the other students in their lab
• Learn how to think creatively
• Learn how to analyze a given speech and speaker and pick out the qualities of a good speech and speaker
• Learn to speak with confidence and persuasion about any topic
• ​Learn how to connect with an audience
• Improve their clarity, tone and posture
• Have fun!

At the end of the week, each student will showcase a well-developed and clear interpretive or oratorical speech to an audience of students and parents.

Debate Program

The debate curriculum is focused on teaching students to present arguments effectively. Every student will learn how to:

• Create structured arguments
• Listen to opposing sides and refute arguments with poise
• See both sides of an issue
• Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of positions
• Express thoughts clearly
• Adapt to a variety of audiences

During lab sessions, students will:

• Engage in various debates about different societal issues
• Debate both sides of a topic
• Practice structured argumentation
• Analyze demo debates by nationally ranked high school students and understand how to apply those techniques to their own debates
• Find and use evidence to back up their arguments
• Have fun!

​
At the end of the week, each student will participate in a debate for parents to watch. Only two students will be in each debate, one on each side of the issue. Our counselors will adjudicate the round and provide each student with detailed feedback.

LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATE
The debate program is focused around the Lincoln Douglas style of debating. In Lincoln Douglas debate, students compete individually, and engage in discussions about the morality of specific actions, foreign policy decisions and its application to daily life. Every lab will have members of the Palo Alto High School Debate Team with specific instruction in Lincoln Douglas debate. 

Advanced Program

Advanced Speech and Debate programs are designed for campers who have previous experience with high school style Speech and Debate. 

If your child has done at least one of the following below, sign him/her up for the advanced program:

• Has attended PASDC in the past
• Has attended either a speech or debate tournament
• Is involved in their school's speech and/or debate club​​

If you are unsure of your child's track placement, please email [email protected]. Furthermore, if your child is uncomfortable with the program that they are placed in after camp starts, don't worry! There is flexibility in track changes over the course of the week of camp, and we can always switch lab placements around.

Sessions

TBD 2024

Prices

Regular Speech or Debate	Advanced Speech or Debate	Full Day – Speech & Debate
400	450	700-800
per week	per week	per week
Register	Register	Register
Speech runs in morning, ​Debate in afternoon	Advanced sessions are for experienced or returning campers	Learn both speech and debate in a fully day and save $100!

(Discounts applied automatically after purchase)

1. Go to our activity hero page and select your session and program (Debate, Speech, Advanced Debate or Advanced Speech). Campers may sign up for multiple sessions and programs. For information on which program is right for your child, click here.
2. Complete online registration. If all spots are filled, your student/s will be placed on our waitlist. 
3. Print and complete the 2023 Medical Waivers (this must be signed and brought to camp at check-in on the first day).
4. Need-based scholarships are available. Please contact us at [email protected] if you need a scholarship in order for your student to attend.
   
   

Palo Alto Speech and Debate Camp is at Palo Alto High School. Student drop-off and pick-up is in front of the Haymarket Theatre and can be reached by driving straight upon entering at the Embarcadero entrance to the high school. Counselors will be waiting there to check in students and take them to their rooms. Students participating in full day of camp (both programs) will eat lunch on the quad from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. and experience Paly's beautiful mission-style campus.

Speech programs run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Debate programs run from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.