The Climate Action Leadership Diploma (CALD) Curriculum at Pearson
*Subject to approval by the International Baccalaureate
Beginning in the 2022-23 academic year, Pearson College UWC will launch a new curriculum option for students with a passion for tackling the most pressing issue facing humanity – climate change. The new Climate Action Leadership Diploma is an IB Career-related Program and will be a first of its kind, two-year diploma for 16-19 year-olds wanting to specialize in climate leadership. CALD graduates will forge lasting climate solutions based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as entrepreneurs and scientists, changemakers in the financial and resource sectors, innovators in tech and global health, and collaborators in the policymaking, private, and public sectors. CALD will be offered as a new diploma alternative to our existing IB Diploma Program.
Climate Action Leadership Studies
- University courses in partnership with Vancouver Island University (VIU) and Royal Roads University (RRU)
- Bespoke UWC Programming in Leading Climate Action
- Microcredentials
- Salish Sea Field School
IB Diploma Program Subjects
- Students choose 2 to 3 courses at any level from the IB Diploma Program
UWC & IB Core
- Service Learning
- Reflective Project
- Personal, Professional and Life Skills
- Language Development
A Closer Look at Climate Action Leadership Studies
The Climate Action Leadership programming is delivered over 600 hours of instruction spread over 2 years, and consists of:
- University-level Courses, in partnership with VIU and RRU
Students in the program go through the courses as a cohort, with an instructor from VIU and a facilitator at Pearson. Course delivery is a blend of facilitated online lectures and in-person activities, with at least one face-to-face session with the instructor per week. The cohort takes one course per term for four terms. Learning in these courses is assessed by the VIU instructor(s) at the end of each term. - Bespoke UWC Programming
Developed and delivered in-house, with invited Indigenous Elders, external speakers, and guest lecturers, these half-term modules run alongside and complement the university level courses. Learning in this module is entirely internally assessed and exam-free. Student learning is demonstrated through project-based work and reflection captured in their portfolios. - Microcredentials
An area of differentiation and self-directed learning giving students the opportunity to specialize in an area of interest. We expect students to be able to choose microcredentials of 150-200 hrs.
Term 1 – Climate Science, Resilience and Adaptation
Term 2 – Indigenous Perspectives on the Environment (I)
Term 3 – Indigenous Perspectives on the Environment (II)
Term 4 – Leadership and Impact: Making A Difference That Matters
*Course curriculum under development
Global Issues to Local Solutions: Connecting Big Picture Activism and Local Futures
To understand the world as it is:
Complexity: Understanding complex adaptive systems (x̌ʷayɘŋ (Race Rocks) Immersion Week(end))
Ecological Economics & Place-Based Economies
To imagine the world as it could be:
Just Transitions Towards Just Futures: Climate and Social Justice
Design Thinking for the UNSDGs: High-tech, low-tech and tinkering solutions
And to move towards just futures:
Engaged Citizenship and Participatory Futures
Migration, Displacement and Climate Justice: Undoing Border Imperialism Amid Climate Crisis
- Microcredentials allow students to specialize and develop practical skills in areas of interest related to climate action
- Hands-on microcredentials (e.g. arboriculture, seed-saving, natural building) are offered through local experts
- Microcredentials in the form of digital badges (e.g. social impact design, practical futurism, blockchaining) can be pursued and earned remotely/virtually
Salish Sea Field School
In the summer between their first and second year, CALD students take part in the 2-week Salish Sea Field School, modelled after the Redfish School of Change and combining elements of the Pearson Seminar on Youth Leadership and VIU’s Xwulmuxw Studies. They will complete coursework in:
- Community Building and Intersectional Leadership
- Centering Indigenous Futures on the Salish Coast
- All That We Can Save: Ecology and Hope in the Salish Sea
- Indigenous Knowledge: Land as Life in Coast Salish Culture
Woven through this curriculum are immersive field/case studies on mitigation and adaptation to rising sea levels in coastal communities, eco-cultural revitalization and restoration, climate impact of wildfire risk reduction and forest management, decarbonized energy systems, negative emissions technologies, climate change displacement and migration preparedness, climate resilience of coastal temperate rainforests and underwater kelp forest ecosystems, and more.
These are not field trips designed to illustrate concepts learned in the classroom, but immersive learning experiences that allow students to develop and meet the cognitive, socio-emotional and behavioral learning outcomes for the UN SDGs.
The CALD Competency Model
developed by Adaptation Learning Network
Climate Adaptation Science & Practice Literacy
- Climate Change Science
- Climate Adaptation Science
- Indigenous Knowledge Systems
- Research
Climate Adaptation Leadership
- Professional Practice
- Leadership
- Change Management
- Decision Making
Working Together in Climate Adaptation
- Climate Communication
- Cultural Agility
- Facilitation
- Engagement
- Collaboration
Understanding the Climate Adaptation Challenge
- Vulnerability & Impact Analysis
- Risk Assessment
- Futures Thinking
- Economic Analysis
- Personal Resilience
Climate Adaptation Planning & Implementation
- Strategy & Planning
- Solution Design
- Policy & Governance
- Builiding Capacity
- Program Management
- Mainstreaming
CALD and the “Ideal” Student
The CALD option is much broader than simply an “ecosystems or environmental” curriculum. Effective future climate leadership requires a broad set of skills, interests and applications to help accelerate the global and multi-sectoral change we need to make, and our course intentionally reflects this. In fact, we have identified several student profiles that would fit the CALD pathway, including scientists, story tellers, political activists, anthropologists, engineers and artists, to name a few.
However, any prospective student should approach this option having a strong desire to apply their study and interests to a solutions-focused agenda centred around climate and sustainability action. Interested students should be prepared to take university-level courses from Royal Roads University and Vancouver Island University that require experiential and applied learning projects in the field in different locations across Vancouver Island.
The program will be attractive to self-directed yet collaborative students who are critical and ethical thinkers wishing to acquire practical skills and knowledge. Students who are academically strong, as well as resilient, determined, confident, caring and reflective inquirers and thinkers will find this a fulfilling and transformative program.
University Pathways
Making an Impact Now and Beyond
The IBCP diploma is accepted by universities and other post-secondary schools around the world.
IBCP students are in demand and scholarship-eligible because post-secondary admissions staff know this challenging and intense program fosters the self-confidence, skills and enthusiasm students need for success in higher education and in their careers.
Check the IB Organization’s most recent list of the post-secondary possibilities for IBCP graduates.
What others have to say about CALD
“The climate crisis is the single greatest opportunity for innovation in human history.
“Political barriers are the most critical challenge to successful climate action. Pearson College UWC is uniquely positioned to break down these barriers by bringing together passionate young leaders from around the world.”
Partnerships
Building partnerships for an impactful education (in progress)