NexGen Debate Academy is a student-led online debate camp for middle school and novice high school students. Learn Public Forum(PF), Lincoln Douglas(LD), and Policy(CX) debate in a welcoming, beginner-friendly environment.
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Students build public speaking confidence in a supportive environment designed for beginners.
Students learn the basics of Public Forum, Lincoln Douglas, and Policy before deciding which debate format they enjoy most.
No prior experience is required. We explain debate from the ground up.
Recorded sessions allow students to revisit lessons and continue learning after camp ends.
Introduction to debate and Public Forum fundamentals.
Introduction to Lincoln Douglas and progressive debate.
Policy arguments and building on progressive debate concepts.
Students will choose their favorite event that they then will want to compete in for the mini tournament on Day 5. They will Make arguments, find evidence, and prepare for the mini tournament.
Students compete in their favorite debate event to practice what was taught.
Students learn from competitive high school debaters who understand what it is like to start debate for the first time.
Adeev Panwar is a sophomore at BASIS Scottsdale High School. He has 3 years of debate experience, which he uses to teach newcomers to debate about the basics. With two years of competitive debate experience, he has earned recognition at numerous regional and national tournaments while developing a strong foundation in strategic argumentation and public speaking.
Notable accomplishments include UKSO Semifinalist, Harvard Season Opener Open Division Octafinalist, and consistent Quarterfinalist at the Harvard UKTOC, etc.
Outside of debate, Adeev enjoys playing Soccer and 2K, he is excited to help new debaters build confidence and improve their skills.
Vidyut Srivatsa is a sophomore at BASIS Scottsdale High School and serves as the captain of his school's Public Forum debate team for technical and progressive arguments. This aloows him to be well suited to the type of arguments present in LD and CX debates. With two years of competitive debate experience, he has earned recognition at numerous regional and national tournaments while developing a strong foundation in strategic argumentation and public speaking.
Notable accomplishments include UKSO Semifinalist, Harvard Season Opener Open Division Octafinalist, consistent Quarterfinalist at the Harvard UKTOC, Arizona State Tournament Qualifier, Cypress Finalist, Last Chance Varsity Triple-Octafinalist, and National Tournament Double-Octafinalist.
Outside of debate, Vidyut enjoys playing Geometry Dash and is excited to help new debaters build confidence and improve their skills.
Evelyn Pomatto is a sophomore at Basis Scottsdale High School and acts as captain of Extemporaneous Speaking, which has given her enthusiasm and patience for new learners. Competing with her parter, Evelyn has broken in many tournaments and began competing varsity in her first year, gaining helpful skills on lay circuit debate.
Her accomplishments include placing and winning at many local tournaments, having a winning record at the Stanford open division Debate Tournament, and qualifying for both TOC and Nationals.
Outside of Speech & Debate, Evelyn enjoys movie watching and spending time with friends, and she is looking forward to helping new debaters grow and develop their skills.
Aahaan Batra is a Public Forum debater with over a year of competitive experience. He also excels in the techincal arguments present in Lincoln Lincoln-Douglas and policy debate. He has attended NSD, broken at most tournaments he has competed in, and has come close to earning bids at multiple tournaments. He has also reached the varity level of debate in just his first year of competing.
His notable accomplishments include winning and placing at many local circuit debate tournaments, and coming close to getting bids at tournament such as TOC Digi, he also had a winning record at the Stanford open division Debate Tournament.
In round, Aahaan enjoys technical and strategic arguments. Outside of debate, he enjoys basketball and Valorant. He is excited to help new debaters build confidence and improve their skills.
Anika Chintakuntlwar is a sophomore at BASIS Scottsdale High School with varsity-level Public Forum debate experience. She moved from the United Arab Emirates in 2024. Through both competition and summer training, she has developed strong skills in argument construction, public speaking, and critical thinking that she is excited to share with new debaters.
Her competitive accomplishments include breaking to Triple-Octafinals at the Harvard Tournament and reaching the Quarterfinals at the ASU Hugh Downs Tournament. She has also attended both the Southwest Institute for Speech and Debate (SWISDI) and the National Symposium for Debate (NSD), experiences that have strengthened her ability to mentor and coach beginning students.
Outside of debate, Anika enjoys playing basketball for her school team as well as painting and participating in Competitive Swimming. She is passionate about helping students build confidence, improve their communication skills, and discover the fun and excitement of competitive debate.
NexGen Summer Debate Camp will run July 27-31 from 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET. Registration will open soon, and students on the interest list will be notified first.
The camp is beginner-focused, online, and designed to help students build confidence, learn debate fundamentals, and prepare for a final mini tournament.
This camp is for middle school and novice high school students who are new to debate or want a stronger foundation.
No. NexGen Debate Academy is designed for beginners, so students do not need prior debate experience.
Students will be introduced to Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas, and CX/Policy Debate.
Yes. The camp is planned as an online summer program so students from across the country can participate.
The camp is planned for July 27-31, 2026 from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM PT / 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET.
Yes, so that students will be able to revisit lessons and students who might not be able to make it can keep up.
The camp is planned to run online through Zoom with a similar video platform as a backup in the case of technical difficulties.
Refunds will be given back in full as long as student is withdrawn at least two weeks before the camp, after that partial refunds will be given based on proximity to the camps beginning.
Reach out to info@nexgendebate.com, all questions will be responded to with in a day.
Registration is opening soon for the NexGen Summer Debate Camp. Submit the form below to be notified when registration opens.
Small-group instruction planned, Only a Few spots remaining.
After submitting, you will be added to the interest list and notified when registration opens.
NexGen Debate Academy was created by competitive high school debaters who remember exactly what it felt like to be beginners. Debate can seem intimidating at first, with unfamiliar terminology, complex arguments, and experienced competitors. Our goal is to make debate approachable, engaging, and fun while building the core skills that matter most: confidence, critical thinking, public speaking, and argumentation. Through a supportive environment and beginner-focused instruction, students will leave camp with the tools they need to succeed both in competition and beyond.
Adeev Panwar is a competitive Public Forum debater with three years of debate experience. He created NexGen Debate Academy to make debate less intimidating for beginners and help students build confidence, public speaking skills, and a strong foundation in argumentation.
NexGen was built around a simple idea: debate should feel approachable from the start. The camp is designed to give new debaters the kind of clear, supportive introduction that many students wish they had when they first began.