Individual Events
Individual Events are bifurcated across Platform and Interpretation:
Platform: Platform events, i.e. Original Oratory and Informative Speaking, are designed to give students the opportunity to educate or persuade their audience about societal issues they find important. The students who participate in Platform at Ascend will advocate for a wide range of political, social, and emotional themes about a topic they are passionate about. At its core, Platform speaking combines research ability, argumentation skills, and effective public speaking into one performance. Platform speakers will practice the art of rhetoric by employing writing devices such as ethos, pathos, logos while mastering delivery techniques such as inflection and vocal modulation.
Interpretation: Interpretation (“Interp”) events, i.e. Dramatic, Humorous, Duo, and Program Oral Interp, are competitive acting categories through which students perform an emotive interpretation of a published piece of work. Choosing diverse selections ranging from humorous, dramatic, or both, Interp students will analyze and dissect culturally relevant literature to craft a compelling story into a condensed ten minutes from start to finish. Following a traditional story arc of beginning, middle, and end, students will craft an entertaining performance by pantomiming their environment and including characterization that brings the story to life. Effective Interp students will focus on the motivation behind the character, setting a scene grounded in reality, and showcasing a range of talent.
Experiences
2 Week - Residential: $3,299.99, July 14 - 28, 2024 (Recommended)
2 Week - Residential with Congress Add-On: $4,299.99, July 14 - 28, 2024 (Recommended)
1 Week - Residential: $2,399.99, July 14 - 21, 2024
2 Week - Commuter: $2,399.99, July 14 - 28, 2024
1 Week - Commuter: $1,799.99, July 14 - 21, 2024
Stated prices exclude transaction fees if paying online by credit or debit card. While paying online by credit or debit card is our preferred payment method, we also offer alternative payment methods—more information available here.
Why Individual Events at Ascend?
We Start with Purpose: Ascend Speech Camp will have a major focus on the why and not the what. Students will be able to walk away from camp feeling proud of the message they are bringing to the world. We are not hosting a script factory or selecting topics that fit the next trend, but at Ascend we will craft a topic around the values of each individual. Audiences everywhere will be able to see the quality in character behind the performer.
We Share the Process: Led by our award winning coaching staff, Ascend Speech Camp will share decades of our collective knowledge of what it takes to be successful in speech. Grounded in a community-based approach, we hope to create leaders that will be able to share techniques and skills they built in the two weeks together with their teams back home.
We Deliver a Product: Competitors that attend Ascend Speech Camp will leave ready for national circuit competition in their event. We prepare our students to be the best they can be by setting deadlines, creating event affinity groups, and meeting with coaches regularly. Students will be met with encouragement and motivation that not only matches, but surpasses the energy they bring to camp.
Key Features
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Interactive Curriculum
If you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right! At Ascend there are no lectures, just gamified workshops to involve competitors in their own learning. While our activities are fun, it’s not all games as they will be focused on building skills. Students will pick up new techniques without even realizing they were actively learning it.
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Individual Coaching
Speech students will have one-on-one coaching daily and get a chance to work with each of our experts individually. Students will be able to meet with coaches during office hours with Ascend’s extended camp schedule.
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Excursions
Who needs a classroom? Speech campers will enjoy local guest speakers from the performance and media industries.
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Affinity Groups
While we will meet daily with the whole speech camp, competitors will have the chance to work with a small cohort of students who are also in their event. This gives everyone a chance to work collaboratively and bounce ideas off of each other as well as rotate between the amazing staff.
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Resources
Access to the university's library of resources and research tools give Ascend speech students a unique advantage over their competition. Our knowledgeable staff have coached (or have been) champions and know the winning formula for success.
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Advocacy Driven
We care about the message more than the moment. With our justice-oriented approach, students will develop the argumentation skills needed to ensure their message is heard.
Sample Daily Schedule
8:00am-9:00am: Breakfast
9:00am-10:20am: Check-ins & Warm-ups
10:20am-10:30am: Break
10:30am-11:30am: Individual Event Workshops (Small Group Time)
11:30am-12:30pm: Advocacy, Message, Argumentation Development
12:30pm-1:30pm: Lunch
1:30pm-2:15pm: Whole Group Check-in / Rotation Explanation
2:15pm-5:00pm: 1:1 Coaching Sessions (Individual Work Time)
5:00pm-5:30pm: Break
5:30pm-6:00pm: Daily Showcase
6:00pm-7:00pm: Dinner
7:00pm-9:00pm: Office Hours
Subject to change: Fun activities and other Ascend events can change the schedule on any given day.
Congress Add-On.
For ambitious students who compete not only in a Platform or Interp event but also in Congressional Debate during the season, Ascend is extending the opportunity to develop these two highly related skillsets simultaneously! Given certain school speech and debate programs require students to do both speech and debate, we want to ensure that our students are able to flourish and shine in both events. Please note this opportunity is only offered to those attending in-person both weeks of camp.