The Helmsmen Institute: The Student's Army

What is the difference between the two teams in a final round? What is the determining factor that makes one side lose and the other achieve victory? Some might say it is the evidence; others might say it is their incredible speaking skills. However, at the root of every round, every debater, every speaker—there is the question of what resources they used. A wise person once said that a war is not won on your own, but with an army. In the same way, no person finds success consistently just because of their personal talent, but with hard work, quality coaching, and safe access to resources such as alumni aid and advising.

The Helmsmen Institute is an organization that focuses on providing long-lasting, quality resources to all of its students. It aims not just to help an individual do well at the next tournament but also to find success no matter where they go. Whether it be going to a four-year university, community college, or entering a new career, the Helmsmen Institute places an emphasis on cultivating their students into wise, honorable, and articulate individuals. With our quality, hand-picked staff of alumni and plethora of strategy and research resources, every student who chooses to work with us will learn something that will be an aid to them wherever they go—in a debate round, in higher education, or in the work world.

Before the Helmsmen Institute was established, many of the resources available to students in high school debate were too expensive for some families, and offered a debate education that fell short of the quality needed to achieve success. The ratio between quality resources and the money being paid was staggeringly unequal, and it needed to be fixed. Recognizing that high prices should not be a barrier to alumni advice, research tools, camps and more, the Helmsmen Institute has established affordable access to these resources for homeschool families.

The Helmsmen Institute is creating a path for speakers to learn as much as they can from the best resources to be found. After long hours of deliberation, the institute hand-picks successful alumni who not only found success in the debate and speech leagues, but also in life outside of it. The staff and knowledge brought together by the Helmsmen Institute serves not only to let our students listen to lectures, but also to find a mentor who can be a guide in and out of the speech or debate round.

Previously, too many students missed out on learning at a debate and speech camp simply because they could not afford it. Too many students fell into a one-track, one-thought mindset that was limited to the debate round and nothing else. Too many families invested their hard-earned dollars in a program whose prices are excessive, not because of the quality of the education, but because it was one of the only options. The Helmsmen Institute has changed all of this by providing resources that not only ensure a high-quality education and improvement in the thinking process, but also give access to the students who have not been able to afford it before now.

Every student who participates in speech and debate must work for what they want to achieve; however, they cannot do everything on their own. They need an army, and the Helmsmen Institute—and all of the resources that it has—is ready to have their back and fight alongside them.