Summer Academic Enrichment Eligible Programs

Goals

The mission of the Minnesota Urban Debate League (MNUDL) is to improve public education by empowering students to become engaged learners, critical thinkers, and active citizens who are effective advocates for themselves and their communities. The MNUDL funds, supports, and runs debate teams at Minneapolis and St. Paul high schools and middle schools. The goal of the summer institute is to prepare students for the upcoming school year by introducing them to the new debate topic, while also helping students to retain and build on academic skills and knowledge that is often lost over the summer break. The summer institute also introduces first-generation college students to campus life  through Augsburgs research library, cafeteria, and residence halls.

Last year the Urban Debate League had students from (Minneapolis): North, Patrick Henry, Washburn and South attending the institute, along with students from (St. Paul) Como Park, Central, Highland Park, and Humboldt. Students who participate in the program directly benefit  but it also benefits the greater community. The Urban Debate League is playing a part in reducing the achievement gap: 100% of our students have graduated on-time and 100% have been accepted to college. A national peer-reviewed study of the Chicago Urban Debate League also found that:

Activities

The Minnesota Debate and Advocacy Workshop (MDAW) is in its 8th year, and is a project of the MNUDL. It is a low-cost non-profit debate camp for primarily the Twin Cities community; half of the students are from the Minnesota Urban Debate League, and the remaining students are from the surrounding suburban communities of the Twin Cities. Students sign up for either a two-week or three-week option, and can choose to commute or stay in residence halls. Students research the new topic, learn about argument theory, hone their debate skills, and have a daily practice debate. The schedule is from 9am  9pm (with breaks) and includes fun activities in the evening, including: movie night, ultimate frisbee, and marathon monopoly games. The typical schedule (below) is what occurs Monday  Friday. Saturdays end early (after dinner) and Sundays start late (after lunch).

8:00am-9:00am Breakfast 9:00am  10:30am Morning Lecture 10:30am  12:00pm Research Labs 12:00  1:00pm Lunch 1:00  3:00pm Research Labs 3:00  5:00pm Skill Sessions 5:00  6:30pm Dinner 6:30  8:30 Practice Debates 8:30  11:00pm Scheduled Fun Activities Midnight  Lights Out

The morning lecture starts with the entire group together (beginners and advanced) to hear a topic lecture from a senior staff member. Research labs are small groups (8-10 students) led by two staff members, these are broken up by skill level (students new to the activity, i.e. freshman and sophomores, vs. upcoming juniors and seniors). Labs research different aspects of the debate topic, introducing students to over 50 research databases such as lexis-nexus. Skill sessions include note taking, argument theory (i.e. logical fallacies), and organizing evidence and research notes.

Fun Activities: Because the programmatic day is very full, we strive to add fun activities to balance between learning and active fun. For example, camp is held over July 4th, (June 24th-July 14th) and includes a camp-wide barbecue and w

Program Dates

Middle school - June 16-20th. High School policy 2 week: June 21-July 5th; 3 week June 21 - July 12th; High school art of persuasion (LD, Classic, and PF) July 7th - 12th.

Can students reside on campus? Yes

Can students commute to campus? Yes

Can students take online classes?