Public Forum Debate can boost anyone's public speaking skills. Debaters learn to articulate positions and engage with others constructively, communicating their ideas on a wide range of topics. Students will learn skills that help in presentations and in-class discussions, and will gain crucial life skills that will help any career.

To do well in Public Forum Debate, teams must stay educated in recent world events. The constantly changing topic means students are exposed to a wide range of issues, from Universal Health Care to the Yemeni civil war. Debaters will become global citizens, as public Forum exposes them to perspectives that most students won't encounter.

Since Public Forum enhances all of these skills and benefits, colleges recognize the significance of this extracurricular. Debaters are consistently accepted into top institutions at higher rates, and the skills learned are invaluable in the college application process and throughout college itself.

Our instructors are carefully picked to create a holistic staff of proven success. From a wide range of backgrounds, whether the persuasive approach of local circuits, critical arguments in other progressive formats, and everything in between, NOVA students can learn every aspect of this broad and varied activity. In addition to experience as competitors, each instructor also has deep coaching experience, some leading their own school's teams and others independently working with students across the country. Everyone's willingness to volunteer their time and effort this summer is a testament to their commitment to and love for public forum debate.

NOVA's curriculum is carefully designed based on years of experience from instructors who have taught at dozens of camps, both in-person and online. Zoom gets tiring if sessions go for too long, so at NOVA students will engage in a variety of activities and lessons to improve at all aspects of debate. Whether in small lab-based groups, larger focused lectures, or the one-on-one environment of office hours, education at NOVA is an intense but accessible experience. This will culminate in a camp tournament at the end of Session 2, where everyone who attends gets an opportunity to put their practice and learning to the test, and get ready for next year’s competition.

Debate is an exclusionary activity, and one of the most prominent ways this plays out is the high cost of summer camps. Some charge hundreds or even thousands of dollars, a cost that inadvertently prevents many people from attending. At NOVA, we believe debate is best when we learn from each other, which is only possible if a diverse array of perspectives and backgrounds are included. NOVA was free last year and expanded access to top-tier debate instruction to many students who would've been shut out by traditional camps. This year, hundreds of students have already signed up for what's sure to be an open and uniquely enriching camp experience.