Tournaments

Each year, ICDA partners with five different high schools and Harper College in Palatine to host six Congressional Debate tournaments, giving hundreds of debaters across the state the opportunity to improve their public speaking skills by competing against their peers.

The fifth tournament, ICDA 5, is also an approved Tournament of Champions (TOC) bid tournament. The top six TOC finalists will earn a bid to qualify to compete at the TOC championship in April.

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Novice Debate Camp

Each year, we sponsor a summer debate camp at Harper College that allows debaters (both novices and veterans) the chance to sharpen the critical skills they need to become a more successful competitors. Any student who is enrolled in a member school will receive a $50 rebate from ICDA. In addition, any student who orders lunch at the program will also receive reimbursement for food.

Additionally, ICDA will also support two students from each member school with full scholarships. Interested students should talk to their coaches for details.

Impact

Former ICDA debaters have attended many different prestigious universities across the country, including:

  • Brown University
  • Columbia University
  • Duke University
  • Harvard University
  • Northwestern University
  • The University of Chicago
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • Vanderbilt University

Other former debaters have secured many different positions as a result of their time in debate. One ICDA alumni, Nabeela Syed, has gone on to serve on the Illinois General Assembly, representing the 51st district.

Regardless of what awards they win, every single ICDA debater benefits from the opportunity to hone their public speaking and research skills, preparing them with the skills needed to prosper in post-secondary education and the workforce.

Another one of the most rewarding outcomes of ICDA are the relationships that develop between the students from different teams. While they are in competition with each other, as in many political venues, this form of debate requires students to maintain positive relationships even when they disagree. Not only do students learn about important issues, the structure of debate, and how to develop arguments; they also learn how to negotiate and cooperate.