Debate to make a difference

Summer Institute for

Debate & Advocacy

Debate Camp, Reimagined

CoLab Debate’s week-long Summer Institute for Debate and Advocacy (SIDA) invites students into the world of community advocacy by combining speech and debate education with training in key organizing skills like coalition building, media literacy and strategy, and conflict resolution.

July 18-25, 2026

Lewis & Clark College

Portland, Oregon

$1,600 (all inclusive, residential)

$1,050 (commuter, no meals/lodging)

$950 (remote/virtual participation)

We are still accepting applications to participate remotely in our hybrid lab! !

  • Register for SIDA by filling out this GoogleForm.

    Pay your enrollment deposit of $100 using our fee-free donation platform.

    If the enrollment deposit is a financial hardship that creates a barrier to your application, email CoLab Debate's Executive Director Emily Cordo (emily@colabdebate.org) to request a Deposit Waiver.


  • At SIDA, debaters will be immersed in advocacy education built on CoLab Debate’s core advocacy curriculum:

    1. Arguing for Better Futures

    2. Building Consensus & Cooperation

    3. Collaborating for Community Impact

    Debaters will learn from lead faculty (CoLab’s executive staff), skilled instructors, and guest instructors drawn from our broad network of former debaters currently making a difference.

    Skills sessions will include a diverse array of transferrable advocacy skills you won’t learn at any other debate camp: 

    • Debating community solutions 

    • Active listening

    • Power analysis

    • Strategic planning & adaptability

    • Communication & narrative framing

    • Conflict navigation & resolution

    • Mobilization & turnout

    • Coalition building

    • Media & communication technology 

    • Law & public policy

    For more information on our curricular influences and sample activities, check out the FAQ at the bottom of this page.

If you've got questions before applying to attend or teach at the 2026 Summer Institute for Advocacy and Debate, or if you’re interested in contributing funding for a scholarship, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch using this form or email Executive Director Emily Cordo at emily@colabdebate.org.

Interested in SIDA 2026?

Reach out now for more information.