Climate Wayfinding:
a workshop for undergraduate & graduate students

A deep learning program of The All We Can Save Project
WEEKLY ON THURSDAYS, JULY 6–AUGUST 3

A 5-week, first-of-its-kind experience of exploration and discovery to foster clarity, courage, and connection for your climate journey. This cohort will be composed entirely of undergraduate and graduate students.

  • Co-led by Dr. Katharine Wilkinson & Nasim Fluker

  • 100% online (zoom!)

  • No cost to participate

  • For current undergraduate & graduate students

  • 5 weeks / 4-5 hours of engagement per week

  • Mandatory participation in all 5 live sessions (held 5-7pm ET on July 6, 13, 20, 27, and August 3)

  • Apply through Friday, April 28, 2023

Discover your unique climate contribution

1 • Look inward — explore your essential climate emotions, skills/superpowers, and guiding values

Audre Lorde taught that “our feelings are our most genuine paths to knowledge.” We will unearth the essential emotions, values, and motivations that we bring with us into climate engagement, as well as the skills and superpowers we want to contribute to this moment of collective transformation.

2 • Look outward — explore climate solutions, accelerators for change, and “kindred” initiatives

The toolbox of climate solutions is vast and varied, and there are powerful accelerators or leverage points for change. We will use our energy as a way to filter and gain focus. Then we will ground those possibilities in our contexts and communities — the spheres within which change can happen.

3 • Look forward — design a personalized ‘compass’ to guide your climate journey

Climate wayfinding is the work of our lifetimes and a muscle we will continue to use and develop. We will weave together the threads of exploration and discovery to each create our own “climate compass”, define our growth edges, and plan for next steps.

 

“So many people are grappling with the question ‘what can I do?’ There is no simple formula, no fact sheet or checklist, for figuring out our roles in the vital work to forge a just, livable future.

Rather than stipulating actions that are one-and-done or one-size-fits-all, this course is tailor made to help us uncover ways to be of use. Together, we’ll hold our questions about climate and purpose, and work our way into answers.” 

– Dr. Katharine Wilkinson

About the program

Who is this program for? 

If you are a current undergraduate or graduate student holding questions about your place in climate engagement and/or seeking deeper contribution, this program is designed for you. We think it will be especially suited to those looking to unpack their deeper motivations and gain focus and clarity in an affirming community. All majors and backgrounds are welcome. 

(Note: This program is not designed for those who are looking primarily for climate 101, career networking, how-to-get-a-job advice, or technical skills.)  

How is the program structured?

During the duration of the 5-week program, ~15 participants will attend a weekly 2-hour live session, facilitated by Dr. Katharine Wilkinson and Nasim Fluker. 

Outside of the live sessions, participants will engage in 2-3 hours of reading, reflecting, researching, synthesizing and/or journaling each week.

All participants will also be invited to a slack community and encouraged to attend optional “going deeper together” sessions.

The program breakdown

Part 1: Grounding & Climate Feelings
We’ll begin the work of building community. Then, we’ll explore essential emotions we bring with us to climate engagement, honoring them as critical grounding, guidance, and fuel.

Part 2: Solutions & Accelerators for Change
We’ll traverse the landscape of climate solutions and accelerators for change, using our energy and curiosity as a guide and a means to filter and hone.

Part 3: Skills & Superpowers
We’ll reflect on the skills and superpowers we bring to climate engagement, reflecting on personal insights both past and present.

Part 4: Context & Community
We’ll consider the contexts we’re nested within and communities we’re a part of (or could be), with attention to what feels kindred to us and relevant to climate engagement.

Part 5: Purpose & Plan
We’ll unpack our guiding values, create a “compass” to guide our paths forward, and lay out next steps to deepen/enliven our place in climate engagement.

About the facilitators

Dr. Katharine Wilkinson • co-founder + executive director at The All We Can Save Project

Katharine (she/her) is an author, strategist, teacher, and one of 15 “women who will save the world,” according to Time magazine. She is co-founder and executive director of The All We Can Save Project and co-host of the podcast A Matter of Degrees.

Her books on climate include the bestselling anthology All We Can Save, The Drawdown Review, the New York Times bestseller Drawdown, and Between God & Green. Previously, she was the principal writer and editor-in-chief a Project Drawdown.

A former Rhodes Scholar and frequent visiting professor, Katharine holds a doctorate in geography and environment from Oxford and a BA in religion from Sewanee.

Nasim Fluker • deputy director at The All We Can Save Project

Nasim is a community builder who specializes in connecting people to places and to each other. Before joining The All We Can Save Project, she was the founder and principal of ThrdSpace, a consulting firm focused on community engagement strategy, cultural programming, and evaluation.

Through her work and lived experience, Nasim has developed a toolkit of creative strategies that bring diverse groups together to co-create frameworks for social impact. She holds an MA in sociology from Georgia State University and a BA in international studies from American University.

 FAQs

  • The program will start on Thursday, July 6, and will run for 5 consecutive Thursdays (July 6, July 13, July 20, July 27, August 3). All sessions will be 2 hours, starting at 5pm ET and running until 7pm ET.

  • The program is designed to be highly participatory and interactive. Each live session will contain some combination of the following elements: music and poetry, opening and closing circle prompts, visualizations/meditations, free-writing exercises, sharing in trios, whole-group discussion, and more.

  • This program is designed specifically for current undergraduate and graduate students. You must be enrolled in a degree program to participate. 

    We’ve found that participants with some climate knowledge benefit the most from this experience, but we encourage applications from outside sustainability/environmental studies. Students from all backgrounds and majors are warmly welcome to apply.

  • While Katharine and Nasim will not be available for 1:1 mentorship, each live session will serve as a container for cultivating exploration and connection. During the 5-week program, all participants will be added to a private slack group, which will serve as a space to ask questions, share resources, and bounce ideas off each other. After the program ends, all participants will be invited to join the larger slack group for all former participants in Climate Wayfinding programs.

  • We know jobs are top of mind for many students. This program is not focused on career counseling, but it lays a foundation that can be useful for clarifying career aspirations and supporting job search. For example, Climate Wayfinding participants clarify their values and deepest motivations, the climate solutions that energize them, and their unique skills and superpowers. 

  • This program is 100% free. What we ask of selected participants is full engagement in all 5 live sessions and the content and exercises designed to do on your own. In our experience, people get out of this program what they put into it.

  • We don’t have another student program planned at this time, but expanding Climate Wayfinding in higher education is a key goal for The All We Can Save Project. Please sign-up for our monthly newsletter to learn when future programs are announced.

  • Last year, we ran five pilot workshops with extremely powerful outcomes and testimonials. Across all cohorts, participants expressed enhanced motivation, greater clarity and focus, and a deeper sense of purpose and connection. 

This will be our first all-student cohort, so we’ll be learning together. We request openness and feedback. Your fingerprints will be impressed on future iterations of the Climate Wayfinding experience.

  • This program has one critical requirement, put in place to ensure the best possible experience for all: You must participate in all 5 sessions. Sessions will not be recorded. If you miss a session, we’ll ask that you conclude your participation in the program.

Testimonials from past participants

“Climate Wayfinding was unlike any other educational experience I’ve ever been a part of — catered to the entire person (mind, body, heart, spirit), crafted with astonishing thoughtfulness and intentionality, framed by people whose joy + intentionality + eagerness to engage made all the difference.”

“This experience was absolutely transformational. I came in feeling drained, overwhelmed, insecure, and isolated. But each element of the process was so thoughtfully and lovingly crafted, and I left feeling restored, connected to others and to my own deepest sense of purpose, and confident about my next steps in climate work.”

Applications open through April 28, 2023