SWSDI 2025 is June 29th – July 13th

Our curriculum is an intensive series of practice, coaching, and classroom work. We have an excellent staff of quality educators, an outstanding practice-driven curriculum, and top-quality facilities for learning and instruction. We look forward to welcoming students back to ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus for another great summer of Speech and Debate instruction!

SWSDI at ASU offers some of the best, most competitive pricing in the industry. We believe everybody should be able to get the experience of debate camp, no matter what their economic situation might be. We are a not-for-profit camp, and we offer a large number of scholarships and need-based financial aid to as many people as possible.

• Camp Sessions
• $1550 (Commuter)
• SWSDI at ASU offers two-week intensive instruction in these events.
• Lincoln-Douglas Debate
• Policy Debate
• Public Forum Debate
• Speech Events (Interp, Platform (OO/Info), and Extemp)

We pride ourselves on our curriculum because we believe in adapting it each year based on the needs of the circuit, novice and returning campers, and the feedback we receive at the end of each camp.

Our curricula are designed to be intense, practice-driven investigations of the events that we offer. Our expert staff works tirelessly to create lectures, drills, activities, and exercises that hone skills, and build knowledge.

Learn More

How are you connected to ASU?

ASU Forensics in the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication has assumed management of Southwest Speech and Debate. The ASU Forensics team has a long history of excellence, and is striving to improve the community by continuing to offer a top-quality camp experience that is affordable and accessible.

Do you accept middle school students?

Unfortunately, we only accept students who will be in high school (entering 9th grade or higher) in the fall. We are not equipped to handle the unique needs of younger students.

Can I do one week of a two-week event?

Our curriculum is carefully planned to use every minute of camp for something productive, with each lesson and activity leading into the next skill. Regardless whether the student is a novice or advanced, the student will miss important parts of the camp experience.

How are students supervised?

Students spend the majority of their time 9 am to 9 pm with their coaches in lab, and eat meals together in the dining hall. After 9 pm, once students are all back inside the dormitory and the commuters have gone home, they are supervised by the resident coaches and student life coordinators who all stay on the same floors with our students.

What happens if I can’t stay the whole time?

Occasionally we do have students who need to come late or leave early. We can prorate the expenses for rooms and meals if we have the information in advance.

What is the schedule every day?

We have breakfast at 8, begin labs at 9, and have lectures and activities until 9 pm each evening. Bed check is at 11 pm.

I am a coach, is there any way for me to come learn about these events?

We do a multitude of coaching scholarships each year. Please contact the camp director for more information.

Aren’t they ever going to have any fun?

We think speech and debate IS fun. This is an academic, competitive camp for students who have competed or want to compete in Speech and Debate. Students will be busy doing something they love, but we won’t be spending hours and hours off task – even our games are designed to help students become better speakers, listeners, and thinkers.

More FAQ’s

Our Address

Southwest Speech and Debate Institute
c/o Adam Symonds
Hugh Downs School of Human Communications
Arizona State University
PO Box 871205
Tempe, AZ 85287-1205
[email protected]

Contacting SWSDI at ASU

If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to send us an email using our email address printed to the left, or the contact form on the right. We will get back to you as soon as possible.

Thank you for your interest in our camp. We look forward to hearing from you!