News


Our inaugural Celebrating Our Community dinner was a huge success! Check out pictures of the event.

WDI proudly welcomes Jenny Heidt, the director of debate at Westminster Academy, as our 2008 Keynote Speaker.

The WDI is also pleased to announce the return of Greta Stahl, the winner of the 2004 NDT , and the addition of Christine Malumphy, a semifinalist at the 2005 NDT.

WDI 2008 Brochure (pdf)

2007 Annual Report (pdf)


How to Help the WDI



Welcome to The Women's Debate Institute

The Women's Debate Institute's mission is to close the gender gap in debate by creating a robust community of girls and women who love debate. The WDI creates this community by hosting a four day LD and Policy camp in August in Port Townsend, Washington.

No matter what your skill level, top notch WDI staff including Greta Stahl, Christine Malumphy, Tara Tate, and Jenny Heidt will teach you how to be a better and more successful debater. But being a great debater is only a part of the equation. The WDI will also teach you what it means to be a woman in debate and will expose you to the rich community of women in this activity.

We believe that community means making the WDI accessible to every girl who wants to attend. To do this, we keep our registration fee as low as possible--this year it's $250.00--and there are a number of full tuition scholarships available.

As past years' students will tell you, the WDI experience is unforgettable. We hope you can join us in August.

Leah Castella
WDI executive director




Women's Debate Institute testimonials


"WDI changed my life and showed me how big the female debate community is."

"I loved WDI! I am going to go home and share all the info I learned and all the wonderful things I realized with my friends, recruit them to come next year and then come back myself. I feel like I had a life altering experience!"

"I loved WDI. The community was an unexpected and wonderful joy. I will be back!"

"I expected a camp full of cliquey girls. This camp was extremely welcoming and provided a wonderful community."

"The WDI was a great way to connect with other girls in debate, learn from their experiences...and build ties to the debate community as a whole."