Advanced Programs

Take debate to the next level

What are the Advanced Programs?

A special three-day bootcamp within our summer offerings designed to help debaters sharpen their Debate or MUN knowledge and skills. Students split their time between a high-level seminar on an important and relevant issue or topic and debating or doing MUN simulations with an expert instructor and students of similar experience and ability. Many find this excellent preparation for the transition to college level competition.

Three-day Advanced Model U.N. bootcamp: June 24 - 26 from 5:00 - 9:30 PM ET

Three-day Advanced Debate bootcamp: June 24 - 26 from 5:00 - 9:30 PM ET

The 2026 Advanced Bootcamp Topic is: The Truth Ecosystem during the Artificial Intelligence Boom: AI Ethics and the Future of Public Discourse

Who are the Advanced Programs for?

Designed for high school students who are hungry for an intensive, fast-paced learning experience. Students will be working with peers of a similar experience level, but all programs are academically challenging and assume an ability to engage with high-level thinking.

That is why all students must apply to participate in the Advanced Programs.

2026 Advanced Bootcamp Topic:

The Truth Ecosystem during the Artificial Intelligence Boom: AI Ethics and the Future of Public Discourse

In an era defined by rapid technological change and deepening fractures in our shared social reality, this seminar invites students to critically examine how artificial intelligence—and the consequent deepfake technologies it powers—are reshaping the socio-political landscape of the United States. Drawing on original research, philosophical frameworks of truth and empiricism, and real-world case studies, students will explore the concept of techno-fraudulence: the deliberate weaponization of AI-generated content to deceive the public and manipulate political opinion.

From the role of images in American democracy and global affairs, to AI's disruptive presence in our lives via social media, to the governance questions that legislators and ethicists are only beginning to grapple with, this seminar pushes students to ask not just what AI can do as a progressive tool for advancing society—but what we owe each other in an age when seeing is no longer believing.

Students will hone their understanding of emerging technologies and their ability to discuss the implications of these technologies through a rigorous analysis of the tensions between technological progress and civic responsibility, emerging with both the intellectual vocabulary and the rhetorical tools to engage one of the defining ethical questions of our time.--

Meet our Advanced Seminar Teacher

Anana Turner

Anana is a graduate of Brandeis University, where she earned dual degrees in Technology: Ethics & Politics and African and African-American Studies, graduating summa cum laude. Her academic work focused on the intersection of emerging technologies and social systems, culminating in her earning the W.E.B. Du Bois award for Academic Achievement in African American Studies for her research efforts.

Anana has been involved in debate, speech, and Model United Nations since middle school. She is a graduate of the Westfield program. Professionally, Anana works as a digital fundraiser and strategist for the Union of Concerned Scientists.

How to Apply

Before registering, please apply here for a spot in our Advanced program.
After receiving notification that you have been accepted, go to the registration app and register for the class.