Student Application
In 2019, we implemented a separate Chicago Debates Student Application for any student who participates in debate. This application allows students to join their school’s debate team, attend practices, and participate in tournaments/debate competitions through Chicago Debates. Information from the application will allow Chicago Debates to communicate directly with you about debate programming and understand the impact of debate on your child’s academic performance.
If you would like for your child to participate/continue to participate in their school’s debate team and programs, please complete the online student application. NOTE: Students who do not complete an application will be unable to participate/continue in debate tournaments. Complete the application by following the link below:
Online Student Application here.
Summer Debate Camps
Kicking off each debate season, the Chicago Debates Summer Institute (CDSI) is a two-week summer debate camp for middle and high school students modeled on university debate institutes. Instructional staff are recruited from leading local and national college debate programs as well as alumni from our program. This camp serves approximately 100-150 students from across the city. Importantly, we offer this camp tuition-free to low-income students.
Debate Resources
Each year the Chicago Debates creates and provides extensive materials on the national policy debate resolution for coaches and debate teams. These materials, called core files, enable students to “get on their feet” quickly at the beginning of the tournament season. Core files introduce the complex issues surrounding the debate resolution for the year, model high-quality debate argument structure, and demonstrate the proper use of evidence to refute opponents’ arguments. Most of our high school debaters, especially those at the varsity level, quickly move beyond the core files to conduct research and craft their own arguments on the national topic, using their learning from the core files as a model.
To learn more about the current year’s resolution, view the core files, and see other instructional resources designed to help students become better competitive academic debaters, visit the CDL program website.
University Debate Institutes
Chicago Debates has ongoing relationships with universities offering summer debate camps. Each year, the Chicago Debates facilitates scholarships or discounts for CDL students to attend these summer debate institutes. Chicago Debates has a particularly robust partnership with Northwestern University’s prestigious summer debate institute, with full scholarships offered each year to four rising sophomores, each of whom are then invited back with full scholarships for the subsequent two summers. Other university debate camps where our students have obtained scholarships include Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama; Illinois State University; and Indiana University. Chicago Debates encourages all CDL debaters to attend summer institutes by providing information, links, and discounted rates for debate camps across the country.
College Access
Debating in the CDL introduces our students to local university campuses, while summer debate institutes and regional tournaments give them a chance to experience university settings away from home. Through these experiences, students can make connections with universities, and are sometimes recruited by them. A number of universities provide scholarships for students to be on their debate teams, and Chicago Debates keeps its students informed about these opportunities through the Resources Page.
In previous years, CDL students have won debate scholarships to Illinois State University, Trinity University, Northwestern University, Loyola University Chicago, DePaul University, University of Michigan, University of Southern California, Samford University, Indiana University, University of Kentucky, and more.
