The Coalition Institute and Training Initiative (CITI) is an educational development institute that introduces high school students to the current year’s high school debate topic

APPLICATIONS FOR CITI 2008 (Scholarships available for UDL member schools,  check with your coaches for information and applications or use the nonmember applications below)

 

CITI 2007 John Jay College 445 W. 59th St. Room 4302N

CITI 2008

 * Meet new friends *Enjoy delicious  food

*Gain skills that will help you get better grades

AND

 $$$$$Learn to earn thousands of dollars in college scholarships $$$$$

at IMPACT's summer debate institute.

 

Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase alternative energy incentives in the United States.

 

Work with some of the most successful debate experts and championship competitors  to learn how to make effective arguments. Confirmed staff members include:

2008 CEDA National Champions

Towson University's Dayvon Love & Deven Cooper

Former National Champion Kacey Wolmer

Erik Fogel, Winner of the Spirit Award in 2006, 2007, 2008

Brooklyn Debate Coordinator Miosotis Perez (Middlebury University)

Jillian Marty, 2008 East Region Coach of the Year

Shawntia Diggs, Coach of the 2008 National CEDA Champions

Nate Turner, Coach of The Beacon School, Winners of the 2008 NYUDL Advaned  & Novice Sweepstakes

Amber Kelsie, Coach of the 2008 Western Novice National Runner-Up (New School University Director of Debate, formerly Dartmouth)

 

CITI 2008 runs from August 18-30.  CITI 2008 will be held at a school location in Manhattan close to the subway. The two-week event held in August after summer school ends, includes:

 

  • Training in Leadership, Critical Thinking, Reasoning and all the tools of academic debate  
  • One-on-One Guidance on Securing Big-Money College Scholarships
  • A Comprehensive Affirmative and Negative Evidence Set
  • Insider Tips for the National Public Policy Forum, a national competition with thousands of dollars in prizes for your school
  • Strategies to Start A Debate Team at Your School
  • Professional development sessions for parents, teachers and volunteers interested in coaching and judging debate

 

The training sessions for debaters and teachers include:

Topic and debate theory instruction.

Hands-on skill development.

Nationally recognized faculty.

Critiqued practice debates.

Cooperative and communal atmosphere.

 

 

Year after year, students rave about the benefits of CITI: “Each morning I wake up wishing it could happen again and again.”

Breakfast and Lunch included. .

Scenes from CITI



Scenes from past CITIs.

 

CITI is a high school debate institute that takes place each summer to prepare students for the upcoming debate season. Instructors lead large and small group sessions to improve speaking skills, conduct mock debate rounds, prepare topic specific research, and teach general debate theory.

From August 18-30, the IMPACT Coalition will host the Coalition Institute and Training Initiative (CITI) 2008—a summer debate institute to develop the debating and coaching skills of middle and high school students and teachers and introduce them to the 2008-09 national high school debate topic. We have secured nationally-acclaimed debaters and coaches from some of the most prestigious universities in the nation to serve as institute faculty for CITI 2008, and we’re proud to offer this potentially life-changing opportunity to urban youth in our area. Students from all backgrounds and levels of debate experience get the benefit of top-notch debate training.

IMPACT recognizes that argumentation isn’t just for politicians and lawyers. Everyone makes arguments, from musical artists to popular media, and they shape the world we live in. At CITI, students learn how to identify the techniques of argument and to make effective arguments for themselves so that they can be advocates for change in their communities. The purpose of CITI is to teach debate techniques and theories and to improve research skills, literacy, speaking, and critical thinking skills through practice speeches and debates.

A typical day at CITI begins at 9:00 AM with free breakfast, then a morning session on debate theory and the new debate topic. At noon, we break for a delicious free lunch and the popular “Daily Freestyle,” where students share slam poetry, rap, and voice their views on issues of concern. CITI also offers a “college roundtable” at lunch to give students one-on-one assistance with college navigation skills, from obtaining and completing applications and FAFSA forms to composing an admissions essay. After lunch, participants choose an elective to discuss debate theory or topic-related issues with faculty members. In the afternoon, we break into small groups to practice skills and get one-on-one training from faculty. IMPACT provides Metrocards so students don’t have to pay for transportation. We celebrate the end of CITI with an awards ceremony where participants receive t-shirts, medals, trophies, and the recognition they need to start their school year with hope.