In a world of virtual speech and debate, finding competitive and educational opportunities has been and is a challenge for both coaches and students. Ad Astra Debate believes that Congressional Debate is a solution to some of the challenges associated with a virtual format - at beginner and more advanced levels. That being said, Ad Astra Debate League would like to cordially invite both coaches and students to our Congressional Debate workshop at 4:00 PM, Monday, January 25th. 

The workshop's different sessions that will be offered will be presided over by Mike Harris - Director of Speech & Debate @ Wichita East; Andrew Halverson - Assistant Director of Speech & Debate @ Wichita East; Kayla Benson - Assistant Coach @ Wichita East & Policy Debate for Wichita State; and Jordan Ojile - former Congressional Debater from Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School. This group of people has experienced success at the local and national level as competitors and coaches in Congressional Debate. 

This is a chance for those who are both experienced and inexperienced to learn about Congressional Debate. Besides learning how to participate in Congressional Debate, everyone can learn about how Congress functions in a virtual format and some of the norms that have been established and that are developing in the activity. 

After our initial lecture about Congressional Debate, we will assist students of all experience levels in various breakout sessions that will be run by persons with previous experience Congressional Debate. The goal of these sessions is to guide students through what a virtual Congress session looks like, an environment where they can give practice speeches, and an opportunity to ask questions to make their first competitive Congress experience smooth and fun. For legislation in this mock session, we will use items #8 - A Bill to Abolish ICE as well as #10 - A Bill to Establish Term Limits for Supreme Court Justices the NSDA's January 2021 docket (which is attached). Please make sure your students have some speeches ready to actively participate and get feedback from our experienced Congress people overseeing these sessions. 

During the student breakout sessions, coaches will also breakout to discuss the logistics of Congressional Debate tournaments, coaching tips & techniques, and reasons why Congressional Debate should be an event that your squad actively does. We'll provide materials that coaches can utilize to teach Congressional Debate as well as aid in developing students to have fun while being competitive.