About Us
Come Join us this Summer!
Hosted by George Mason University, our debate camp is the largest debate summer camp hosted in Virginia! We offer classes in Public Forum, Policy, and Lincoln Douglas debate at the novice, junior varsity and varsity level. With small class sizes, a dedicated teaching and residential staff, and classes for grades 4-12. GMDI is a wonderful place to be! Our motto, modeled after George Mason University, is "Innovation is Tradition," because our institute aims to foster skills development in-depth research, critical thinking, persuasion, argumentation and overall communication.
Excellence Driven
At GMDI, we focus on teaching our camper's how to maximize their performance. We strive to hire the best to ensure that our campers receive a top notch educational experience.
Campers from our institute have consistently placed among the top performing teams in their state competitions, been admitted to ivy league colleges, and have been recognized as debaters of distinction by the National Speech and Debate Association. But don't just believe us! Please visit our testimonials page to read from former campers about their time at our institute.
Community Minded
The common aspect of the George Mason Debate Institute that our campers enjoy is the location. GMDI is a Washington D.C. debate camp experience without the Washington D.C. price!
Considering our location to the nation state's hub, a facet of the GMDI curriculum is our lecture series. We model our lecture series off of D.C. think tank conferences, choosing specialization lectures based on the topic each camper will be debating. Every year, we bring in national experts in the topic areas to provide our campers with a truly unique experience.
More About Us!
Enroll in our Elementary and Middle School Session!
GMDI launched one of the first elementary debate camps in the country last year, and after high demand we will continue our ES/MS camp into Summer 2019. Be sure to grab a spot early, as they are filling up!
GMDI has NEW and LOWER PRICES for 2019!
After careful consideration, GMDI has decided that we would like to make our camp as accessible as possible for people across all economic backgrounds. We have cut our prices in the hope that more debaters can enjoy debate camp this year!
Mason Scholars Program 2019!
The Mason Scholars program is a new addition to the 2019-2020 Summer. Scholars will receive a bio on our website, a $100 discount, and a guaranteed slot in varsity. Consult each specific lab's page for more info!