Debate camps are awesome. I’m telling ya, if you have a chance to go (or bring your kids), you won’t regret it. My program has been training young people for competition since 2001. However, there is a deeper purpose to the training that I don’t want you to miss.
NOTE: Limited space is available. See here to register.
Before I get to the “big picture,” let me list some of the things that you do at Training Minds Camp:
- Beautiful campus lodging on the Pacific (Point Loma) and Atlantic (Regent University) Oceans
- The opportunity to build friendships with students and educators from around the country
- A full day of speech training for all platform, literary interpretation, limited prep and parliamentary debate
- Introduction to the team-policy and Lincoln-Douglas debate topics
- Theory and strategy sessions in small and large groups
- Sessions taught by some of the giants in the speech and debate curriculum world
- Coached rounds where students walk through a debate round
- A small tournament model at the end, a “free for all” where students debate for judges
Ultimately, we coaches are focused on getting you ready for competition. We’ve got quite the record for doing that extremely well (see our testimonials page and success page for the proof). We ask the students to aim beyond competition.
Like a martial arts expert, they bust through a target by focusing beyond the target. If you aim your hand for the target (in the case of martial arts, it would be the board or brick), you will end up with a hurt hand and little accomplished. Aim beyond, and you will successfully pound through your target.
My organization’s key verse is 1 Peter 1:13, “Train the mind for action.” Training the mind goes on at camp, but we ask the students to meditate on for action. They’re being trained for much more than the tournament trophy. Consider:
- Students learn to build platform speeches that persuade an audience
- Students learn to think logically and philosophically through argumentation
- Students learn to speak with winsome, eloquent grace
- Students learn to craft solutions to the problems in the world
- Students learn to engage an audience with candor and persuasion
Sure, come 2014, these students will take the top awards at the tournaments they attend. This happens every year with our speakers and debaters. However, what is uber-cool about camp, is that these same students will be the movers and changers for the future of our world.
By the way, this is why two keynote speakers are coming to our camp. Both Michael Hyatt and Andrew Pudewa believe in the young people assembling at camp. They both share in the vision of Training Minds Ministry and will be sharing their encouragements for these young people to build platforms beyond competition.
Again, uber-cool. You’ll want to be there. Let me know if you have any questions.
Limited space is available. Registration closes June 30. Click here.
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