Rolling enrollment open. Courses prorated.
Explore now.Students who take this exciting course display HUGE confidence boosts in just days! If you have a child who: struggles to write but can talk your ear off about their passion, and/or struggles to articulate their thoughts, is a bit more reserved and struggles to find to confidence to share their passions with others, THIS COURSE IS FOR YOU! Help your kiddo learn how to use their greatest power and transform it into their greatest gift! Help your child gain confidence, organize their thoughts, improve their communication and listening skills, dig into logic and persuasion, develop reasoning, perspective-taking, evidence-based claims, and make leaps and bounds in speaking AND writing! That’s right! Our debate students show marked improvement in their writing skills, too!.
This course is not currently being offered. Please check back later or explore our other available courses.
Has your child already tasted the thrill of speech and debate and wants more? Our competition-level club is built for experienced students who are ready to sharpen their skills and step onto the tournament stage.
This club is designed for students who have a solid grasp of argumentation and are hungry to go further. Returning debaters refine their ability to organize arguments, respond swiftly to opposing viewpoints, ask insightful cross-examination questions, and construct persuasive rebuttals.
Students explore a range of collegiate and competitive debate styles, including Student Congress, Parliamentary, Public Forum, Lincoln Douglas, Big Questions, and World Schools. They learn to think on their feet and hold their own in any format.
Coach Hughes built her own high school debate program and coaches students on the NSDA and TOC circuits. Her students have won at competitions like Harvard, earned national bids, and taken state championships.
This is an intellectually stimulating, supportive club where competitive students bond, grow, and experience the excitement of a great debate at the highest level.
For the debater ready to compete, this is where serious skills are sharpened. We hope to see you there.
The thinking, collaboration, and confidence your child builds in this course do not stay in the classroom. Parents consistently tell us they see the difference at home, at school, and in social situations. When learning is driven by genuine interest, the growth is real and lasting.
For gifted and 2e kids, finding a place where they feel understood can change everything. This course surrounds your child with peers who think like they do and a mentor who celebrates what makes them different. Parents tell us this is the first program where their child truly felt at home.
YSA is a UC-registered online publisher and WASC-accredited Supplementary Education Center, which means our courses can count toward official college credit requirements. State schools can recognize the courses your student takes here, adding real legitimacy to your homeschooling journey or building on top of your student's existing transcript. That opens up two ways to enroll: For Credit -- Your student earns official, accredited credit toward their transcript. For-credit students complete weekly assignments that build toward their transcript grade. Outside-of-class work ranges from 1-2 hours per week. Perfect for families who want documentation that reflects what their child is actually capable of -- to show the world how brilliant they are. For Enrichment -- Your student takes the very same course purely for the love of learning. No grades, no outside-of-class work, no credit attached. Just the content, the community, and the growth. Same course. Same mentor. Same experience in class. You choose what fits your family.
If you homeschool, this works seamlessly. If your student attends another school full time, we create a report card and transcript that we share with you, and you share with the school. It is up to your primary school to accept it and add it to your student's official transcript.
Dive deep with an expert mentor who meets every student where they are and pushes them to grow 
Build confidence, critical thinking, and genuine expertise through hands-on learning and real engagement 
Connect with a small group of like-minded peers who share their interests, forming real friendships in the process 
Develop skills that transfer beyond the classroom, including communication, collaboration, and independent thinking 
Professor Jennifer Hughes is a retired criminal, international and family court attorney with over 23 years in legal practice. She has taught both in person and online middle and high school for over fifteen years and was the History Department Chair at a non-traditional charter school. She also was an Associate Criminal Justice Professor and has over thirty years of experience competing in Speech and Debate events, including Congress, Lincoln Douglas, Public Forum, Moot Court and Model UN. She created her High School Debate program and coaches Debate students for both the NSDA and TOC circuits. Her students have won competitions such as Harvard, obtained national bids and won State championships. Since 2009, she has taught Advanced Placement Courses such as APUSH and Comparative Government. Professor Hughes, as a parent of both neurotypical and neurodiverse kids, fosters classes that are inclusive and tailored to each individual learner.
WHAT PARENTS ARE SAYING
Parents don't just see happier kids. They see sharper thinking, stronger friendships, and a child who actually wants to log on.
★★★★★
"Coach Hughes coaches at a whole other level. My son sharpened his rebuttals and placed at his first real tournament."
Denise K.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter learned Lincoln Douglas and Public Forum from a coach who has sent kids to Harvard. Coach Hughes is the real deal."
Victor K.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Coach Hughes coaches at a whole other level. My son sharpened his rebuttals and placed at his first real tournament."
Denise K.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter learned Lincoln Douglas and Public Forum from a coach who has sent kids to Harvard. Coach Hughes is the real deal."
Victor K.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Coach Hughes taught my son to think on his feet and cross-examine like a pro. The competitive circuit does not intimidate him anymore."
Melinda K.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter wanted more than the basics, and Coach Hughes delivered. She is drafting cases for national bids now."
Preston K.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Coach Hughes taught my son to think on his feet and cross-examine like a pro. The competitive circuit does not intimidate him anymore."
Melinda K.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter wanted more than the basics, and Coach Hughes delivered. She is drafting cases for national bids now."
Preston K.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Coach Hughes knows the NSDA and TOC circuits cold. My son finally has a coach who can take him all the way."
Angela K.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The advanced debate styles Coach Hughes teaches gave my daughter an edge. She is winning rounds she used to lose."
Ronan K.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Coach Hughes knows the NSDA and TOC circuits cold. My son finally has a coach who can take him all the way."
Angela K.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The advanced debate styles Coach Hughes teaches gave my daughter an edge. She is winning rounds she used to lose."
Ronan K.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Coach Hughes coaches at a whole other level. My son sharpened his rebuttals and placed at his first real tournament."
Denise K.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter learned Lincoln Douglas and Public Forum from a coach who has sent kids to Harvard. Coach Hughes is the real deal."
Victor K.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Coach Hughes taught my son to think on his feet and cross-examine like a pro. The competitive circuit does not intimidate him anymore."
Melinda K.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter wanted more than the basics, and Coach Hughes delivered. She is drafting cases for national bids now."
Preston K.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Coach Hughes knows the NSDA and TOC circuits cold. My son finally has a coach who can take him all the way."
Angela K.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"The advanced debate styles Coach Hughes teaches gave my daughter an edge. She is winning rounds she used to lose."
Ronan K.
YSA parent
If you’re not 100% in love with the course, you have options depending on how you enrolled:
You can switch to another course of equal or lesser value that’s a better fit or get a credit to use toward a future course.
You can either get credit toward a future course, switch to another course of equal or lesser value that’s a better fit, or stop all future payments after a 30-day processing period.
No risk. No stress. Just the learning and belonging you have been looking for.
We can offer this because we know what we do works for thousands of other families. Kids become more self-confident. They find their people. And families tell us this is the place where their student finally feels welcome. We know it will work for your family, too.
All-Access Passes have separate terms and conditions. Please see the All-Access Pass pages.
It goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway... to qualify for the satisfaction guarantee policy, you have to actually attend the classes. This is not a cancellation policy. It’s a satisfaction guarantee. You can’t be satisfied or dissatisfied if you don’t attend.
Young Scholars Academy is a virtual village that offers one-of-a-kind, engaging enrichment courses and community for 5-18-year-old bright, quirky kids to empower them to develop their strengths, make like-minded friends, cultivate life skills, build confidence, and feel great about themselves under the loving care of expert mentors. description2: >- Picture a place where your child fits in, is celebrated, mentored, and loves learning the unique content their beautiful brain craves. That happens every day at YSA for over 1,200+ families, and it can happen for your family, too.
WASC Accredited · 1,200+ Families · 93% Re-Enroll · 47+ States, 17 Countries, 6 Continents
Learn more about YSAQUESTIONS ABOUT THIS COURSE
Everything you need to know before enrolling your child.
Absolutely. Many of our strongest debate students started exactly there. Speech and debate channels verbal energy into structured argumentation, and parents consistently report that the skills transfer directly to writing improvement. Your child learns to organize thoughts, build evidence-based claims, and communicate persuasively - skills that show up in every essay and class discussion afterward.
Yes. YSA families join from 47+ states and 17 countries across 6 continents. All you need is an internet connection. We schedule sections across multiple time zones so families worldwide can find a time that works.
Speech and Debate: Powers of Persuasion meets once per week for 50 minutes, every week from August through December. Your child joins the same tight-knit group of up to 8 students and the same mentor all semester long. Same friends, same mentor, a new challenge every week.
Our gifted and 2e students experience such asynchronous development that hard age limits rarely tell the full story. If your student should be aged up or aged down, contact us at support@youngscholarsacademy.org or click the chat in the bottom right corner of the screen. We do this all the time.
Please don't confuse reactive distance learning with what happens at YSA. When a kid is engaged in a course they chose, with a mentor who gets them and peers who share their interests, the screen disappears. They're not on a screen. They're with their people. Parents tell us their children fight to log on to YSA.
If your child isn't loving a course by the end of the first week, swap into a different course. Same semester. No questions. Not the right fit within the first month? We'll stop payments, switch courses, or issue credit toward any future course. The credit never expires. And you keep every bonus you've received. Over 93% of YSA families don't just stay. They add more courses.
No. Cameras are always optional. Always. Many of our students start with cameras off and turn them on when they're comfortable. Our mentors engage every student equally, cameras on or off.
No. If you're here, you're in the right place. We don't require paperwork, evaluations, or labels. Whether your child has been formally identified as gifted or twice-exceptional, whether you suspect it but haven't pursued testing, or whether you just know your kid's brain works differently and nothing else has fit, they're welcome here.
Yes. YSA is an approved vendor with 10+ state ESA programs including Arizona ESA, Utah Fits All, ClassWallet, My Tech High, Florida Step Up, and others. Enroll directly to secure your child's spot, submit the invoice to your ESA, and your payment method is refunded when funds transfer. Many families pay zero out of pocket.
Click "See Available Times" on this page, pick the section that fits your schedule, and your child's spot is secured immediately. No phone call. No placement test. No prerequisite.
Right now, a kid who thinks like your kid is in a course they chose, with a mentor who was once just like them, surrounded by friends who don't think they're weird... they think they're interesting.
Your child is one click from finding out what that feels like.
Internet connection and a can-do-attitude!