HOW MUCH EXPERIENCE DOES MY CHILD NEED? Our Public Speaking, Beginner Extemp classes are for learning the fundamentals, while our Advanced Extemp class is for building off previous experience. Our debate class is open to anyone with any level of experience, as classes will be split up by grade and experience level to deliver the best possible learning experience. Anyone can sign up for Public Speaking, Beginner Extemp, and Debate, while prior knowledge is recommended for our Advanced Extemp course.
MY CHILD HAS ALREADY TAKEN DEBATE AND/OR PUBLIC SPEAKING 1. SHOULD THEY TAKE THE CLASS AGAIN? For most students, it takes multiple reiterations of Public Speaking and/or Debate lessons along with repeated practice to truly master fundamental skills. Therefore, we highly suggest that if a student has had no prior experience in Public Speaking and Debate, they should look to take the Public Speaking or Debate class more than once before proceeding to more advanced courses. Furthermore, Fall Workshop classes do not do the same activities every season. The fundamental skills taught stay constant, but activities change constantly to adaptively strengthen students' skills. Students who wish to take a higher level class will interact with other more advanced students and go in depth with more difficult drills, so fundamental mastery is important.
WILL THERE BE AN END-OF-WORKSHOP TOURNAMENT? No.
CAN MY CHILD ATTEND BOTH SESSIONS OR ONLY CHOOSE BETWEEN THE MORNING OR THE AFTERNOON ONE? Every individual class will be taught for 1.5 hours a day, but a student may wish to take both a debate and public speaking class. Our courses are structured so that each one session (public speaking) is in the morning for 1.5 hours, and the other (debate) is in the afternoon for 1.5 hours.
MY CHILD IS UNABLE TO ATTEND THE WORKSHOP, HOW CAN I GET A REFUND? If you would like a refund, please contact us at contact@bethelightyouth.org. Please reference our workshop refund policies here.
WHAT IS THE PRICING FOR CLASSES? We charge $165 for a single class, but if you choose to sign up your child for a second class, the total cost will be $310 for both classes. 100% of our proceeds will be donated towards charities. Additionally, if you refer our camp to others, you may be eligible for a $20 referral discount - per referral. Click here to learn more.
ARE THERE ANY SCHOLARSHIPS OR FINANCIAL AID? HOW DO I APPLY FOR IT? Yes, we do offer scholarships! We have a need-based application process for scholarships, which you can learn more about here. HOW MANY CLASSES CAN MY CHILD TAKE? You can choose up to two classes for your child to take. Our Public speaking courses are the Public Speaking 1 and Extemp, while we have one general debate course, split by grade and experience level. You can mix and match between the Debate and Public speaking classes, but you cannot choose both Debate or both Public speaking courses due to scheduling conflicts.
WHY DOES THE REGISTRATION FORM SAY “INSUFFICIENT QUANTITY REMAINING” WHEN I TRY TO SIGN MY CHILD UP FOR A CLASS? If you receive a message that says “insufficient quantity remaining,” that means all seats for that specific course have been filled. If that is the case, you may either choose to put your child on the waitlist or sign up for a different class.
WHAT ARE THE DATES OF THE WORKSHOP? The workshop will occur every Sunday, beginning on January 31st and ending on May 9th. There will be no class on the following dates: February 14th, March 14th, and April 18th.
WHAT IS THE STUDENT TO TEACHER RATIO FOR CLASSES? There will be between 4-8 students per instructor in each class. This is to ensure that all students will receive adequate individual attention and one on one time with instructors.
HOW WILL CLASSES BE CONDUCTED? Classes will be conducted over Zoom. After registration has been completed, you will receive a list of all the Zoom links for the classes. In case of any individual changes to the links, instructors will reach out to your student.
