August 4-8, 2025

WHO

Rising 6-12th
Graders

WHERE

Anywhere you can log in and speak up!

WHEN

August 4-8
10am-2pm

COST

$600

Need help paying?

We offer financial aid!

What We Offer

One week of academic and socioemotional instruction

Specific training in the following courses:
- Middle School Public Forum (Rising 6th-8th Graders)
- High School JV Congress (Rising 9th-10th Graders)
- High School Varsity Congress (Rising 11th-12th Graders)
- High School JV Extemp (Rising 9th-10th Graders)
- High School Varsity Extemp (Rising 11th-12th Graders)
Camp tournament including individualized feedback

Meet Our Coaches

Joey DiColandrea

PUBLIC FORUM DEBATE
Joey competed at Stuyvesant High School from 2002-06, on a team that won national recognition and with whom he won the NSDA national championship in prose reading. He’s been coaching ever since, and began teaching in 2017.
Joey has a B.A. in Economics from Clark University and an M.A. in Education from Relay GSE. In a previous life with the 10th Mountain Infantry Division, he was commended for his work as a civil-military liaison, training officer, and WMD-detection platoon leader. If you count his year running an embassy-sponsored Pashtun radio station in Afghanistan, this is his second nonprofit aimed at improving civic discourse.
K.M. DiColandrea

EXTEMP
From 1999-2003, DiCo competed on the Stuyvesant HS Speech & Debate Team, where they were a state finalist in Extemporaneous Speaking and a national finalist in Congressional Debate. After graduating with a B.A. in Philosophy from Yale, they joined Teach for America and started debate teams at the Frederick Douglass Academy and Achievement First Brooklyn High School.
DiCo has coached extempers to many accomplishments including New York State Champion, Big Bronx Champion, Princeton Champion, UPenn Finals, Emory Semi-Finalist, and an invitation to Montgomery Bell Academy’s Extemp Round Robin.
Jonathan Conyers

From 2009-2011, Jonathan competed on the Frederick Douglass Academy Debate Team, where he competed at national tournaments such as the Yale, Columbia and Harvard Invitationals. After graduating with a B.S. in Respiratory Therapy from Stony Brook University in 2017, he started working for NYU Langone Medical Center as a Neonatal Pediatric Specialist.
Jonathan is the author of I Wasn’t Supposed To Be Here, a memoir about his remarkable journey and the unique and diverse cast of characters who Jonathan met along his journey who helped transform his life from mere survival to unimaginable success.
Jonathan is also a successful entrepreneur who has founded Conyers Real Estate, Agbara Health Services, and Conyers Production Company.
Want to join our team?

If you’re a Speech & Debate alum or coach interested in joining our team, shoot us an email and we'll be in touch.
joey@brooklyndebateleague.org

Need help paying for camp?

BDL is committed to ensuring access for all students regardless of financial circumstances.

To be considered for financial aid, please complete this brief application.

We’ll get back to you within a week. Hold off on registering in the meantime, because if you qualify for aid, we’ll give you a special discount code to apply at checkout.

Use our Financial Aid Calculator below to determine your expected family contribution.

How much does it cost?

$600 pays for a week of expert coaching, engaging debates, and skill-building fun! An investment in confidence, critical thinking, and the power of your voice.