Our programs
Additional Programs
American debate style
Public Forum Debate
Public Forum (PF) Debate entails a long term research focus compared to Canadian debate. In PF, kids will be dealing with the same topic for a month or two, and go to multiple tournaments on the same topic. Students are expected to do lots of research to develop prewritten rebuttal, and multiple different cases. The biggest technical difference is instead of POI’s, PF is all crossfire.
PF offers students research skills, speech writing/editing, and deeper topic engagement. The biggest long-term benefit for students is learning how to go super in-depth when seeking evidence and information, and engaging with tough sources like legal cases and academic journals to prepare for research essays in high school and university. By having so much time with a topic, it really encourages students to think about the topic on a deeper level than impromptu debate and improve their cases and speeches after every round.
Expand your knowledge base
Content Seminar Series
Taught by a combination of our tenured instructors and special guest lecturers, these engaging seminars cover content that debaters can use in competitions and in various other settings. Covering a range of subject areas from international relations, social justice, health and development, philosophy, and more! Our content seminars will expand the knowledge base of every participating student and set them apart from their competitors.
Tackle global issues
Model United Nations
With the world continuing to globalize, the leaders of tomorrow will need to have a global outlook on society’s most pressing problems. FDT’s Model United Nations (MUN) program prepares students for committees and competitions that simulate the operations of the world’s most prestigious and powerful organization, the United Nations. Students are given a country to represent and will work to solve global issues through research, writing, and public speaking. For students curious about the world around them, FDT’s MUN program is an excellent choice!
learn about legal procedures
Mock Trial
A mock trial is a simulation or enactment of a judicial proceeding. Mock trials provide students with knowledge of the judicial system, legal process, and courtroom procedures. Mock trials help to: develop students’ questioning skills, critical thinking, and oratory skills; demonstrate the roles of various actors in the legal system; and provide the class with exposure to legal resource people, such as judges, attorneys, and law school students. Mock trials may be based on historical events, cases of contemporary interest, school events, or hypothetical situations and fact patterns.Mock Trial teaches essential skills such as public speaking, critical thinking, and the art of forming a persuasive, cohesive argument.
Learn about moral dilemmas
Ethics Olympiad
Ethics Bowl competitions involve tackling interesting and complex moral dilemmas in a constructive format. Students will tackle a range of ethical scenarios, developing a nuanced understanding of various perspectives and crafting well-reasoned arguments. They will need to engage in constructive dialogue with another team, and answer questions about their position from a panel of judges. Unlike traditional debate formats, Ethics Bowls are not directly adversarial and do not force competitors to defend randomly assigned positions. Instead, students engage in thoughtful and constructive dialogue, encouraging collaborative exploration of moral and social issues.
The program offers participants an opportunity to learn about moral philosophy, develop their public speaking skills, and engage with some of the most important questions in life. The cases students deal with are engaging, and help develop analytic and critical thinking skills. Ethical reasoning is also becoming an increasingly important and sought-after skill for the leaders of tomorrow, making Ethics Bowl a good choice for students interested in developing their leadership skills.
put theory to practice
Model UN Conferences
Our students have participated in MUN conferences and went on to win some of the top awards. Our instructors are imminently qualified in MUN, having competed in and helped to organize conferences themselves.
fdt model united nations program
Private Lessons
FDT offers private lessons to help students establish essential skills for MUN, and to prepare them to attend various MUN conferences held throughout the year. These one-on-one lessons provide students with an opportunity to work on individual challenges and receive unique attention for longer periods of time.
Upon speaking with our Admissions Director, students are placed with a private instructor that is best suited to their learning needs, schedule and budget.
Register today to learn about our custom packages, which combine group and private lessons!
