Team Policy Debate Camp — July 31-Aug 2, 2024

Team Policy Debate asks competitors to develop and defend competing policy options to address contemporary problems. The purpose of Team Policy is to instill in Christian homeschool students the skills of presentation, critical thinking, research, and policy analysis. A TP Debate round consists of a two-on-two debate, the Affirmative team versus the Negative team, and centers on a policy topic based on the current Stoa TP Resolution.

Please Note: If your student is new to debate and unsure if they will participate in Team Policy or Lincoln Douglas Debate for the academic year, please have them register for Team Policy Track 1.

The 2024–2025 Stoa Team Policy Debate Resolution:

Resolved: The United States Federal Government should substantially reform its policy on healthcare.

Please join us for competitive Team Policy Debate instruction for ages 12–18. Brand new to TP debate? You've come to the right place! We offer training for both novice and advanced debaters.

Novice Track (Track 1):

The novice track is for students who have no prior competitive Team Policy Debate experience. Even if a student has done debate in a class setting, we recommend starting here to be able to have the best experience! Through use of engaging lessons and fun drills, students will learn the basics of Team Policy culminating in two full practice rounds before camp ends.

We will cover the following topics as part of novice team policy camp:

  • 4-Point Refutation
  • Stock Issues
  • Constructive Speeches
  • Rebuttal Speeches
  • Flowing
  • Cross-Examination
  • Intro to Research

Advanced Track (Track 2):

The advanced track is for students who have already competed in Team Policy Debate. Students will be challenged to "level-up" their argumentation skill, increase their knowledge of debate theory, and gain expertise in the new topic for the year.

Advanced debaters will be notified closer to camp about any homework they need to prepare in advance of camp.

We will cover the following topics as part of advanced team policy camp:

  • Advanced Research
  • Advanced Case Writing
  • Advanced Theory
  • Negative Strategies
  • Impact Calculus
  • Cross-Examination Strategy

Please Bring:

Each day, students should bring a legal-sized writing pad, pens, digital timer, small notepad for cross examination, and a laptop for research, if they have one.