Programmes / Law, Debate & Communication

Programme · Law, Debate & Communication

Communication & Leadership Programme

A Voice → Influence → Stage arc with a performance in every session, ending in a judged showcase in front of external judges and parents. Run under the Onward Fellowship brand with Harvard student mentors. Students move through a Voice → Influence → Stage arc across two age tracks - Story Slam, Campaign HQ and a TEDx-style Showcase for Grades 6-8, with a matching track for Grades 9-12. There is a performance in every session and a judged showcase finale in front of external judges and parents.

Apply for October →

Next cohort starts Sat, 24 Oct 2026 · Fee on request

Cohorts of Small live cohort

Length3 weekends · 6 live sessions
Cohort sizeSmall live cohort
EligibilityGrades 6–12 (11–17)
Live sessionsSat & Sun, 2 hours per session · live on Zoom

What your child will actually do

Live, mentor-led sessions - worked problems and real output, not lectures.

1
Learn law, debate & communication the applied way

A Voice → Influence → Stage arc with a performance in every session, ending in a judged showcase in front of external judges and parents. Every session is live and mentor-led, with discussion instead of lecture.

2
Work on something real each week

Across 3 weekends · 6 live sessions, students produce work rather than notes - cases, drafts, builds or analyses depending on the programme.

3
Get individual mentor feedback

Cohorts are kept small so mentors know each student by name and push them at the right level.

4
Finish with something to show

A final project or presentation your child can put in front of a university, a school or you.

Skills your child will gain

Named, practised skills - grouped the way universities read them, tied to how each is used in this programme.

Thinking & analysis

How your child breaks a problem down before touching it.

  • Statutory reading

    Practised on live problems in every session - never taught as theory.

  • Note-taking and synthesis

    Mentors make your child justify each step out loud before moving on.

  • Basic field vocabulary

    Applied to unfamiliar law, debate & communication material, not rehearsed examples.

Communication

Writing and speaking so an adult expert takes them seriously.

  • Cross-examination

    Rehearsed in front of a mentor and peers, then corrected on the spot.

  • Speaking up in a live room

    Written up each week and marked the way a specialist reader would mark it.

Working with people

Deadlines, teams, feedback - the habits universities and employers notice.

  • Case briefs

    Built through real deadlines and written mentor feedback.

  • Team work with strangers

    Practised in small-team work with students your child has never met.

Projects they finish with

Sample briefs from recent cohorts - the actual work that comes out of the programme, not a syllabus.

Project 1

Applied law, debate & communication problem set

Can your child use law, debate & communication thinking on a problem they have never seen?

What they hand inWorked problems and short write-ups reviewed by the mentor each session.

Early sessions
Project 2

The main project

What is worth building in law, debate & communication in 3 weekends · 6 live sessions?

What they hand inA finished programme project - the piece that goes into the portfolio.

Middle of the programme
Project 3

Final presentation

Can they explain the work to someone who was not there?

What they hand inA live presentation plus mentor feedback in writing.

Final session
A short project or presentation to close the programme

A future-lawyer profile built on argument quality rather than debate trophies alone. By the end of Communication & Leadership Programme, the aim is simple: a written brief or mooting record, ideally with a competition placement.

What you end up holding
  • Certificate of completion
  • A small project or presentation
  • A clear yes or no on the interest

What they'll take away

Certificate of CompletionProject or portfolio artefactLive mentor feedbackParent progress updates

How this strengthens their university profile

The point isn't the certificate. It's the line a family can honestly write afterwards - and the artefact sitting behind it.

Before

"My child is interested in law, debate & communication."

Nothing an admissions officer can check.

After Communication & Leadership Programme

"My child completed Communication & Leadership Programme and finished a short project or presentation to close the programme."

A line with an artefact behind it.

Why this programme counts

Exploration, cheaply and quickly. Short live programmes let a child test a field over a couple of weekends before committing months to it - and they are the natural first step in Grades 5–8.

A future-lawyer profile built on argument quality rather than debate trophies alone.

What a university can verify
  • Certificate of completion
  • A small project or presentation
  • A clear yes or no on the interest
  • Certificate of completion
  • A small project or presentation

Upcoming cohorts

Sat, 24 Oct 20263 weekends · 6 live sessions · Grades 612Batch 1
Sat & Sun, 2 hours per session
Fee on requestApply for this cohort
Sat, 30 Jan 20273 weekends · 6 live sessions · Grades 612Batch 2
Sat & Sun, 2 hours per session
Fee on requestApply for this cohort

Session times shown in Dubai time (GMT+4) with US Eastern alongside. Fees are correct at time of publishing - confirm on the programme page.

Live mentors, every single session

Communication & Leadership Programme is taught live by mentors from leading universities and partner organisations - never pre-recorded. Small cohorts mean your child is spoken to by name, not counted in an audience.

Parents usually ask

Is my child the right age for this?

It is designed for Grades 6–12. No prior background is assumed - mentors calibrate to the cohort in the first session.

How much time does it take?

3 weekends · 6 live sessions in total, with live sessions sat & sun, 2 hours per session plus light preparation in between. It is built to sit alongside school.

What if we miss a session?

Tell the team in advance and they will share the materials and arrange a catch-up so your child rejoins without falling behind.

How do we pay and confirm a place?

Places are confirmed on the Communication & Leadership Programme application page. Fees shown here are correct at time of publishing - always confirm on the programme page before paying.

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Fee on requestnext cohort 24 Oct
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