Summer camps 2022
In two decades our students will be leaders. Preparation starts now.
Two Decades Academy (TDA) summer camps prepare the next generation of leaders through debate, public speaking, and the skills to lead through adversity. Each summer session is a deep dive into current events, argumentation, history, speech, deliberation, negotiation, and ethics. The balance of intellectual inquiry through research, immersive play through simulations, and constructive individual coaching from experts transforms students' skills in just five days.
Our academic camps are for Middle and High School students with interest or skill in politics, debate, public speaking, international relations, law, history, philosophy, ethics, national and foreign policy, civics, activism, journalism, and other related fields. Not all students arrive with these interests, but we've seen many students whose enthusiasm was born at our camps.
fun & fundamental rights
TDA Summer Camps are immersive educational experiences designed for high impact Middle and High School students with interest in politics, diplomacy, current events, and international affairs, from renown teacher Simon Olavarria.
the real deal
Our camps have been carefully crafted and extensively tested over the last 11 years, to create exciting, meaningful, and academically rigorous experiences for our students. Students see substantial skill building in just five days. See what other parents have to say here.
dynamic schedule
Each camp day is well balanced between high-tempo activities, deep insight opportunities, and ample coaching in public speaking, deliberation, and negotiation. Get a glimpse of a summer session day here.
the ratio that counts
TDA enhances learning, participation and mentorship opportunities by keeping class sizes small, and achieving a 15:1 student to teacher ratio.
logistics
Curriculum overview
Dates
High School Camps
July 18- 22, 2022 (online)
July 25-29, 2022 (in-person)
Middle School Camps
June 27 - July 1, 2022 (online)
July 11- 15, 2022 (in-person)
Location
-
We are offering both online and in-person classes.
-
In-person classes will take place in Palo Alto or San Mateo
COst
-
One week of camp:
-
Online $ 850
-
In-person $ 1100
-
-
Deposit of $100 to reserve a spot.
-
For families with financial needs, we offer a sliding scale tuition, starting at $300.
Our students
Most TDA students join our program with a history of high-achievement in school and of thriving in challenging academic environments. However, some of our most successful students over the years showed particular behaviors and traits that weren't academics and grades, and went on to find their academic passions through our programs. Click here to read about some unexpected traits of a successful TDA student.
TDA's students win best delegate at competitions across the country, go on to study at top universities and, most importantly, pursue meaningful careers that change the fate of humanity for the better. Join us.
Debate
We provide fun, practice-based debate instruction covering:
-
Debate fundamentals
-
Argumentation
-
Research management
-
Public speaking
-
Negotiation
No prior debate experience is necessary.
Current Events
We explore the most important news of our time through:
-
In-depth coverage and media literacy
-
Non-biased explanations
-
Managed, participation-focused discussions
-
Connection to moral deliberation and debate
Ethics
We have deep experience in assisting teenagers to address moral and ethical issues, and to develop empathy, by using:
-
Moral dilemma games
-
Fun thought experiments
-
Simulated situations of real events
Participation
We facilitate our students learning through doing and reviewing, providing:
-
Ample debating, public speaking, and negotiation practice
-
Simulations, providing experiential and fun ways to engage and cement learnings
-
Constant, kind, constructive feedback through individual coaching
OUR APPROACH
TDA takes an experiential approach to learning. Each day incorporates high-tempo activities, methods for achieving insights, and ample practice and reflection. Learn more about our camp days here. Our summer camp curriculum has been developed and tested over eleven years. Classes are designed to evolve with each student's interests and growth, so no two sessions are the same. Our curriculum demands leaning into courage and growth each day, enabling your student to build their own path to leadership and mastery
Any students who complete our camps are ready for a Model United Nation (MUN) or Model Congress conference, are prepared to join Middle and High School debate and MUN programs, and are more likely to be accepted to our selective year-round programs. Our camps give students a preview of the nature and rigor of TDA's year-round programs.
We go beyond other speech and debate camps who focus on only one debate type, applicable to one field or focused on one narrow technique. We teach skills from multiple speech and debate styles, which gives our students the ability to learn by exploring their own interests. Our approach produces comprehensive leaders, who understand speech and debate skills across disciplines and who can apply what is needed in different contexts.
We also don't outsource our teaching through guest lectures by professionals or college students, with impressive sounding associations to elite institutions, but little capacity to teach or engage students. Our classes are designed and delivered by experts who are also excellent teachers; who create exciting, meaningful, and academically rigorous experiences for our students, and don't just follow static scripts.
Students leave our programs transformed, as thinkers and as people. Many parents have seen this transformation through ignited academic passions and enlightened dinner-table conversation. Hear what other parents have to say here.