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FCDI APPLICATION IS OPEN!

The application for the 2024-2025 school year is NOW OPEN! ​Start a debate team at your school today! 

CURRENT COACHES:

Please confirm your membership for the 2024-2025 school year at the button below.

Elevating civic knowledge, skills and disposition for Florida's students.

The mission of the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative is to create access and opportunities for all students to have the best civics education including curriculum, debate programs, and high-quality teachers that are catalysts for students becoming great citizens who can preserve our constitutional republic for future generations.

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FCDI 2024-2025

HANDBOOK

The 2024-2025 FCDI Handbook is now available for download! From getting started with your new speech and debate team, to roles and responsibilities and debate event instructions, you'll find everything you need.

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Save the Date

THE GREAT

DEBATE

2025

January 17-20, 2025
ORLANDO, FLORIDA

The National Civics and Debate Championship is a rigorous contest that thoroughly challenges students' knowledge, debate skills and endurance. While most conventional debate tournaments require students to compete in only one event, this event, the first and only of its kind, requires students to compete in different debate events on each of three tournament days.

We are the students

OF THE FLORIDA CIVICS AND DEBATE INITIATIVE.

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SEE UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS AND FCDI EVENTS

We're excited to host debate tournaments throughout the 2024-2025 school year. 

About

By the Numbers

FCDI GROWTH AND EXPANSION

67

SCHOOL
DISTRICTS

3,406

FLORIDA
STUDENTS

405

FLORIDA
SCHOOLS

FOR NOVICE AND EXPERIENCED COACHES

For New Coaches

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Building

A Team

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Coach

Library

AMERICA...

YOU'RE IN GOOD HANDS

In 2019, to implement the Governor's executive order, Commissioner Richard Corcoran, the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Education Foundation recognized the success and potential of partnering with the Central Florida Debate Initiative to establish a statewide debate program that focused on civics education. The Florida Civics and Debate Initiative is the first of its kind to use debate specifically as a tool to enrich civics education and to have incredibly strong support from state leaders.

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2023 FCDI DAY AT THE CAPITOL

In April, more than 40 students from the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative visited Tallahassee, Florida for a day of advocacy and learning.

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The 2023 GREAT DEBATE

In November 2023, over 400 students from 60 Florida schools and 7 states  descended on Orlando for the inaugural National Civics and Debate Championship (NCDC).

FCDI TEACHER AWARDED FLORIDA HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER OF THE YEAR

A Nassau County FCDI teacher was honored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) as the Florida High School Teacher of the Year. 

SPECIAL THANKS

TO OUR PARTNERS

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