Celebrating the End of Our First Semester of the CARE Climate Leadership Program

Closing a rich and collaborative first semester

We are delighted to celebrate the completion of the first semester of the CARE Climate Leadership Program 2025-26 - a milestone made possible by the commitment, curiosity, and collaborative spirit of our students and faculty. 

Over the past months, students engaged deeply with four foundational modules designed to build leadership capacity for a fast-changing climate landscape:

• Leadership in Times of Complexity and Uncertainty, led by Dean Arancha González (PSIA): Students explored what it means to lead responsibly in a world defined by volatility, systemic risk, and interconnected crises.
   
• Seeing the Whole: Systems Thinking in Climate Action, led by Dr. Sara Elder (UBC): Through practical tools and systems maps, participants learned to identify leverage points and rethink climate challenges from a holistic perspective.
   
• Climate Governance, Policy and Justice, led by Dr. Laura Tozler (UoT): This module grounded students in the political, institutional, and justice dimensions that shape climate decision-making globally and locally.
   
• Climate Communication and Storytelling, led by Jeanna Rex and Dr. Alex Sawatzky (UoG): Students practiced how to craft narratives that resonate, bridge divides, and mobilize action.
   

Across all four modules, students gained new insights, strengthened their analytical and leadership skills, and built a vibrant interdisciplinary community committed to advancing meaningful climate action.

Looking Ahead: A Double Cohort and New Modules Next Semester

We’re excited to share that next semester we will welcome a double cohort as students who followed the Leadership program in the Spring 2025 will come back to finalize their journey.

Students will dive into two new core modules:

• Climate Finance, led by Marilyn Waite (PSIA)
   
• Indigenous Leadership, led by Fiore Longo (PSIA)
   

They will also collaborate in a hands-on Policy Lab on Fossil Fuel Phase-Out, led by Prof. Philippe Le Billon (UBC) - an opportunity to apply learning directly to one of the most pressing climate challenges of our time.

We look forward to continuing this journey of learning, leadership development and collective impact. 

Stay tuned for more updates as we prepare for an inspiring second semester!!