Summer is the best time to work on public speaking. In the summer, it is not only easier to focus on a specific skill but we are allowed to have fun in the process. The Practice Space summer camps attract a whole range of students, from those who already love public speaking to those who want to get over their stage fright to those who are “strongly encouraged” by their parents. By the end of camp, all students find that having a voice and finding their opinions is fun and many forget why they found it scary in the first place.
So what do we do at camp? All our staff are big believers in the idea that there isn’t one way to learn public speaking. Students need choices to find their way in, to find what really resonates with them. Each camp offers choices of what type of communication peaks their interest, including persuasion and argumentation, presentation, spontaneous speaking, drama and performance, and podcasting and storytelling. Students can choose to dive into one genre or they can be exposed to many different options. We offer a diverse range of activities to engage everyone, such as practice debates, impromptu and acting activities, and team-building games. There are many opportunities for students to learn to give feedback to each other and also have input into the learning process. The main point is for all students — with all levels of experience — to feel comfortable, have fun, deepen their knowledge, and learn a really important skill.
We hope you join us this summer. This year, we have our Young Speakers Camp for kids ages 8 to 12, our Advanced Debate Intensive for high school students, and our flagship, The Practice Space Summer Camp for kids ages 13 and up. We keep our camps small (maximum 20 students), so register on the Events section of our site and let us know if you have questions.
Student Testimonials from The Practice Space Summer Camp 2017:
“I loved The Practice Space camp! I was able to practice debate and learn new forms of debate which was amazing! I loved how the teachers and all of my peers were really supportive and I felt like I could be myself. It was great getting to know people and getting to do debate, which I love. All of the things I learned at camp will be incredibly useful for me in the future, in debate and just in general.”
”The camp was so much fun. I got to meet a lot of other people from different schools and see them start with knowing nothing at all to full on debating or giving a bone chilling performance. It was great to also expand and improve my own acting skills.”
”I loved the mini-debates and it was really fun to learn a wide variety of debate styles and improve upon my previous knowledge. It was wonderful to actually debate, and I really appreciate the amount of them we completed! I also enjoyed the community, for everyone was engaged, attentive, and helpful.”
“In my opinion, the most impressive aspect of the camp was the way the instructors were able to engage and challenge campers with such a wide range of experience, skill, and interests. I also thought you did a wonderful job incorporating a fun, supportive atmosphere into the camp so that it wasn’t just a competitive, anonymous stereotypical “speech and debate camp”.”