CARE FALL 2026 STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES - CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Faculty lead: CARE Faculty Team

Topic: Climate leadership, systems thinking and interdisciplinary collaboration

Description: The CARE Climate Leadership Program equips students with the skills, tools and perspectives needed to lead climate action across sectors.  The program emphasizes systems thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration, communication, justice and transformative leadership.

Participants engage with experts, practitioners and peers through 

• a series of interactive modules while working collaboratively on applied climate challenges (asynchronous content and live webinars)
• an in-situ intensive on Sciences Po campus
• a Policy Lab.

Format:

• self-paced online learning: eight online modules released progressively throughout the year (the first four modules will be available on Moodle from late August)
• six live webinars with international faculty and practitioners  (three in the Fall semester and three in the Spring semester)  
• an in-person intensive in Paris during the last week of January 2027 
• an applied CARE Leadership Policy Lab

Eligibility:

• At PSIA: Year 1 students, all master programs. Please note that for PSIA students, participation in the CARE Climate Leadership Program is not compatible with Clinics or Capstone projects.

Time commitment: Approximately 120 hours across the full academic year 

Key dates: runs from September 2026 to May 2027

• Welcome session: 16 September 2026, 18:00 CET / 12:00 Ontario / 09:00 BC (Zoom)
• Program launch: The first online learning materials will be available on Moodle from late August, and selected students will receive further information and access details in early September.

Live webinars for the fall semester (attendance expected)

• 7 October 2026 — 19:00 CET / 13:00 Ontario / 10:00 BC
• 11 November 2026 —  19:00 CET / 13:00 Ontario / 10:00 BC
• 9 December 2026 —  19:00 CET / 13:00 Ontario / 10:00 BC

In-person intensive (mandatory)

• Last week of January 2027 at Sciences Po, Paris

Funding: for stay and travel to Paris for students coming from Canada

Certificate upon completion

Description: This course builds leadership skills in the assessment, development, and maintenance of effective conservation partnerships that span Crown and Indigenous governments, the private sector, and civil society. This course will deepen the understandings of the drivers behind why partnerships, often with atypical allies, are increasingly forging conservation solutions and how governments at all levels are shifting to more inclusive models of decision-making Rather than focusing on ecological science alone, the course is heavily oriented toward governance, collaboration, leadership, negotiation, and relationship-building.

Dates: September 10 - December 4, 2026

Format: All online. Asynchronous course with synchronous meetings decided with instructor.

Eligibility:

• At PSIA: 1 year students, Masters in Environmental Policy and International Development

Time commitment: The CONS 6050 course offered in the fall is a 0.25 credit (DE) course. A 0.25 credit graduate course at the U of Guelph is 4-6 hours per week. Because it is asynchronous and DE, the workload may be distributed more flexibly.

Certificate of attendance

This course provides an introduction to environmental and resource economics and explores how economic thinking can help address major environmental challenges. Students examine topics including the value of nature, market failures, environmental externalities, carbon pricing and other policy instruments, renewable and non-renewable resource management, behavioural economics, climate change, and sustainability. 

Through dedicated CARE tutorials, participants have the opportunity to discuss key concepts with peers from across the consortium and connect economic approaches to broader debates in climate policy and governance. CARE students participate in the course as auditors, with no coursework or formal assessment required.

Dates: Fall 2026

Format: 

• Fully online. 
• Twelve 2-hour recorded lectures completed at your own pace, 
• complemented by 6 hours of live online tutorials offered exclusively to CARE students.

Eligibility:   

• Open to students from University of Guelph, Univervisity of British Columbia and University of Toronto
• Sciences Po students are NOT allowed to apply. They register through their  regular course registrations.

Time commitment: Approximately 50 hours (24 hours of recorded lectures and 6 hours of live tutorials + reading)

Certificate of Attendance

Topic: Community resilience and citizen science

Description: The Community-Based Science Workshop is an applied learning experience where students work alongside faculty and local stakeholders to explore climate resilience in Paris through place-based research, fieldwork and collaborative inquiry.

Participants will investigate how communities experience climate change, identify local resilience assets and challenges, and develop practical recommendations grounded in community knowledge.

Because the workshop involves direct engagement with local community partners in Paris, the selected cohort will include a sufficient number of French-speaking participants to facilitate fieldwork, communication and collaboration. Students with a good command of French are therefore particularly encouraged to apply.  

Format: Approximately 30 hours over six weeks including

• one online introductory session
• an evening launch event
• two full-day workshops (including fieldwork)
•  independent group work
• a final presentation.

Eligibility: 

• This workshop is open to first-year PSIA students and to second-year Urban School students. 
• Because the workshop involves direct engagement with local community partners in Paris, the selected cohort will include a sufficient number of French-speaking participants to facilitate fieldwork, communication and collaboration. Students with a good command of French are therefore particularly encouraged to apply. 

Time commitment: 5 hours online in September and about 20-25 hours on site in late October

Online introductory webinar

• September 2026 (date to be confirmed based on participants' availability)

Mandatory on-site launch

• Wednesday 21 October 2026, 5:00-7:30 pm

Mandatory intensive workshop

• Tuesday 27 & Thursday 29 October 2026 (includes field visits and fieldwork)

Final presentations

• Wednesday 4 November 2026, 5:30-7:00pm

Topic: regenerative agriculture, climate change, and environmental justice rooted in African Indigenous ways of knowing and relating with the land.

Description: Students will collaborate with Ruwawa Coffee Farm in Kenya to explore how smallholder farmers can adopt and scale regenerative agriculture practices, and co-develop a locally driven, globally relevant coffee certification standard. Working in small teams, students will produce research reports.

Format: Online

Eligibility:

• At PSIA: First year students, all master programs

Time commitment: 3-4 hours per week from September to December

Runs from September to December 2026

Students should apply by sending their CV and a statement of interest (1–1.5 pages, single-spaced) to Professor Kariũki Kĩrigia at kariuki.kirigia@utoronto.ca. 

Please cc care.munkschool@utoronto.ca and include “CARE Applied Learning Project Application” in the subject line of your email

Topic: Comparative Analysis of clean transitions in Europe and Canada

Description:This workshop asks students to critically examine the challenges of the clean energy transition by comparing European policy approaches with Canadian perspectives. Using draft chapters from a forthcoming handbook, students analyze key EU policy dilemmas, assess their strengths and limitations, and explore how Canadian contexts compare. Working in pairs, students develop and present comparative analyses that highlight shared challenges, potential lessons for Canada from the EU, and insights from the Canadian context for Europe.

Format:  Online/In Person

Eligibility:  Open to Masters students at the University of Toronto and the University of Guelph

Time commitment: 20-25 hours of prep between September 10-18 + a 2 hour intro lecture on September 10th (hybrid) and full day get together in Toronto on September 18th.

Runs from September 10 - 18

Topic: GRiFSS: Guelph Resilient Food Systems Simulation

A scenario-based policy simulation where students respond to escalating food system disruptions and develop recommendations culminating in the Guelph Declaration.

Description: Selection of 4 students from each CARE institution (Total = 16). Participating students will explore the intersections of climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation, food security, and systems resilience through an immersive, multi-stakeholder simulation of Ontario's food system.

Format:

• 2-3 day onsite gathering in late September 2026
• 6-8 weeks online work

Eligibility:

• First and second year, all PSIA master programs, UBC, UT and UGuelph

Time commitment: 2-4 hours/week for online working phase after initial onsite gathering

Funding: For travel and stay in Guelph

Dates: September 2026 (onsite) - November 2026

Lead: University of Guelph Elizabeth Shantz and Dr. Alex Sawatzky

Dates: Monday, October 5 - November 16

Topic: From Data to Dialogue — Designing Infographics that Connect

Description: Students explore how research can be translated into impactful public engagement and policy-relevant knowledge products (ie infographics).

Format: Online project

Eligibility:

• First year students, all PSIA master programs – Limit of 6 students

Time commitment: 3 to 5 hours per week over October 6 - November 16, 2026

Funding: Stipend available.

Lead Institution: University of Guelph

Faculty Lead: Dr. Karina Benessaiah, College of Social and Applied Human Sciences, Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, Social Practice and Transformational Change

Dates: November 2026 - February 2027

Topic: Understanding Sustainability Transformations

Format: Online work from November - February

Eligibility: Limited to 6 students. Masters students from all 4 CARE partner institutions. Must be comfortable speaking in French and English.

Time commitment: 7-10 hours per week

Funding: Students will receive a stipend.

Description: Details on this project will be shared at a later date. Please reach out to Jeanna Rex at jeannar@uoguelph.ca for information.

Lead institution: Sciences Po

Faculty lead: Dr. Yamina Saheb, PSIA

Dates: December 2026 - June 2027

Topic: Sufficiency and climate action

Description: This applied project explores the role of sufficiency approaches in advancing climate action and sustainability transitions. Further details will be advertised in October 2026.

Format:

• Online group work from December-June
• On site for CARE Sufficiency Summer School in Paris (1st week of June)

Eligibility:

• First and second year, all PSIA master programs

Time commitment: 15 hours per month from December-May, full time on site first week of June

Funding: For travel and stay in Paris for students from Canadian universities. Students will receive a monetary prize upon completion of the project and summer school.

Find out more: Sufficiency Summer School 2026 Edition

Lead institution: University of Toronto

Faculty lead: Peter Wallace

Date: 20 November 2026

Topic: The case challenge focuses on CARE's core themes of biodiversity and climate change, environmental sustainability, and/or energy transitions. The specific theme for 2026 will be confirmed and shared early in the Fall semester.

Description: Students work in interdisciplinary teams to develop innovative solutions to a real-world climate challenge and present their policy solutions to a panel of judges drawn from the public and private sectors, as well as faculty from the four institutions.

Format:

• Team competition
• Online

Eligibility:

• Year 1 and Year 2
• All PSIA Master programs

Time commitment: 20-25 hours over two weeks

Prize:

• Winning team prize
• Publication opportunity

Find out more: https://www.care-climate.com/news/care-sustainability-in-a-changing-climate-case-competition-meet-the-finalists/

Host institution: University of British Columbia (UBC)

Faculty lead: CARE Consortium

Conference dates: March 2027

Theme: TBC

Description: The CARE Poster Presentation & Networking Showcase provides students with an opportunity to present research, policy analysis, applied projects and innovative ideas related to climate action, adaptation, resilience, governance and sustainability.

Posters may draw on CARE activities, including courses, applied projects and case competitions, or on independent work connected to CARE themes. We particularly welcome submissions that demonstrate interdisciplinary thinking, applied insights and creative approaches to climate challenges. The showcase offers a unique opportunity to share your work, receive feedback and connect with students, faculty and practitioners from across the CARE consortium.

Format:

• Conference poster presentation
• Networking showcase
• In-person participation at the CARE Annual Conference

Eligibility:

• Year 1 and Year 2 students
• All CARE partner universities

Funding: Selected students will receive travel support from their home institution to attend the conference.

Selection process: Details will be shared in November 2026.