Learn more about the Climate Adaptation Fundamentals Micro-credential and the Professional Certificate in Management & Leadership.
A pair of courses at Royal Roads University is challenging students' perceptions of leadership and climate action with the goal of equipping them with the skills to build a more resilient future.
Royal Roads Professional and Continuing Studies partnered with the Academy for Sustainable Innovation (ASI) to deliver two electives available to students enrolled in the Climate Adaptation Fundamentals Micro-credential which explores how climate change is affecting us, what we can do to reduce the impacts, and how we can increase resilience and adaptability and the Professional Certificate in Management and Leadership programs.
ASI's Collaborative Leadership for Climate Action course helps students examine collective leadership models to foster more inclusive approaches. Participants also look at changes amidst sustainability challenges like climate destabilization and consider who is most affected.
The Climate Action and Transition Leadership elective considers how traditional, dominant models of leading are failing to adequately address climate and sustainability challenges, and allows participants to experiment with leadership practices to contribute toward a low-carbon, socially inclusive future.
"All of our work is organized around trying to help people develop these leadership competencies and ultimately try to create a more sustainable future for Canada," ASI CEO Tamara Connell says of her organization's mission, "The unique piece that we add is the confluence or the middle of the Venn diagram between leadership and climate action."
About the courses ASI delivers for RRU, Connell says: "Change isn't going to happen on your own. You always will need to build buy-in, to build alignment, so how do you do that practically within your organization?
"As an individual leader," she adds, "the thing that it's important to know is why it matters why it matters to you because it will be hard work and tiring work, trying to make change and going against the status quo.
"Where are you motivated, what's your skillset and, therefore, what might be your pathway or entryway into trying to contribute to the broader change?"
Course participants, most of them mid-career professionals, arrive with strong motivation but different levels of ability to lead change within their organizations. After the course, Connell says, "I would hope they would leave feeling better equipped to lead change within their organizations."
"At Canada's university for changemakers, we believe that leadership is a critical component in addressing the multifaceted challenges posed by climate change," says Zoe MacLeod, RRU's associate vice president, Professional and Continuing Studies. "Our collaboration with the Academy for Sustainable Innovation reflects our commitment to equipping professionals with the skills and knowledge necessary to make a meaningful impact.
"The courses we offer together," she adds, "are not just about understanding climate science or policy they are about empowering individuals to become catalysts for change within their organizations and communities.
"Many mid-career professionals join us with a strong desire to make a difference but are unsure how to navigate the complexities of leading climate action within their organizations. Our goal is to leave them feeling empowered, equipped with actionable strategies, and connected to a network of like-minded changemakers."
Connell adds the collaboration with RRU has been mutually beneficial, with both organizations bringing strengths to the table Royal Roads' reputation and outreach, ASI's subject expertise to produce meaningful course offerings.
Learn more about the Climate Adaptation Fundamentals Micro-credential and the Professional Certificate in Management & Leadership.
