The Climate Engagement Program aims to train and support graduate students working on issues surrounding climate change to engage with diverse stakeholder groups outside of academia.
The program consists of a 4-day retreat at a UC reserve in California, where a small cohort of interdisciplinary scholars from across the US will participate in leadership and communication training and network building. Throughout the following year, there will be quarterly video conferences with the cohort to support continued engagement in their local communities.
Funds will be available to cover travel costs to and from the workshop. In addition, room and board for the workshop will be covered by the program.
Program Objectives
- Advance our thinking about what defines societal belief systems around climate change and how people receive information about climate change.
- Build capacity among graduate students and early-career scientists to effectively engage with a broad range of Americans in conversations about climate change.
- Build a diverse community of early-career climate scientists to support each other in continued engagement.
Fall workshop: November 21-24, 2019
This year’s workshop will take place at the UC Point Reyes Field Station on the central coast of California. The program will primarily be skills-based, with opportunities for honing your communication and identifying your opportunities for engagement.
While we will practice fundamental techniques for effective science communication available in other trainings, we will also focus on tools that are particularly relevant for polarizing issues, such as climate change. Thus, we will practice active listening, a deceptively challenging but effective skill for facilitating trust and dialogue. Moreover, we will discuss how people learn and receive new information, as well as the social structures that shape people’s perspectives on climate change. Last, we will discuss techniques for communicating with different audiences (e.g., policy makers, radio reporters, or local communities groups) and honing your message. There will also be plenty of structured and unstructured time to engage with other participants and enjoy the reserve.
The Point Reyes Field Station is located near San Francisco, CA. Participants will stay in an old house on the reserve, which offers trails and a large meeting space.
Ongoing networking
After the workshop, participants will take part in quarterly video conference calls to discuss progress, obstacles, and opportunities for further engagement
Curriculum
The workshop will cover topics including:
- Theory of Change – How change happens
- Learning models – How societal context influences learning
- Identifying audiences – How to be relevant and understandable
- Active listening – How to listen for understanding
- Framing – What messaging works well for communicating about climate change
- Navigating challenging conversations – What are some tools for de-escalation
- Considerations for communicating with the media
- Understanding the policy landscape
Syllabi from previous iterations of the course can be found here.