Leadership Program
What is the program about?
We are recruiting passionate changemakers to address health challenges posed by climate change
This leadership program is for changemakers who recognize that the climate crisis is a health crisis.
Averting catastrophic climate breakdown in a way that allows human health to flourish requires innovative and systemic approaches. Public engagement is a critical component – for example, by understanding how to reach vulnerable communities most impacted by climate change, or how to build and sustain movements that shift behaviors.
Through this program, changemakers will develop a deeper understanding of the climate and health intersection, while gaining key skills, tools and relationships to achieve greater impact through their work.
PE Transformation program
leadership
climate
change & health
Who should join the program?
Changemakers are individuals working to mitigate or adapt to the health effects of climate change in their communities.
You may be a researcher, scientist, community leader, activist, entrepreneur, policymaker or lawyer. You should have 5+ years of experience with climate change or health. We believe that leaders are everywhere in the world, and are diverse in race, gender, nationality, sexuality and other identities.
We believe you’re the right fit for the program if:
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You are exploring a climate and health-oriented solution in communities that could benefit from it. You have developed a new idea or approach that you want to build into a product, program or policy.
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You understand the opportunities that this program can unlock. You want to determine the next step for an idea or approach that shows promise through proof of concept, early impact data and testimonials.
And most importantly, do join us if you are:
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Willing to question your assumptions about health, climate change, and other ways of thinking about the world.
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Open to working with and learning from others, especially those whose approaches to health and climate might be different from your own.
Here are some illustrative profiles.
RESEARCHERS
A researcher is investigating the impacts of climate-related extreme heat on premature births, to inform intersectoral policy for primary healthcare protocols for neonatal care.
ACTIVISTS
An activist is seeking to address the rise in infectious diseases due to heavier monsoons through collaboration with the government to develop a public health campaign.
ENTREPRENEURS
An entrepreneur with a prototype of a technology to capture air pollutants is seeking to develop public and private pathways to market the technology for implementation in urban areas.
EDUCATORS
An educator lobbying for a robust climate change curriculum across secondary schools is developing approaches to influence and collaborate with experts, teachers and governments to pilot and scale nationally.
What is the program learning journey?
The learning journey is a staged approach to help you gain the technical, leadership and public engagement skills to develop and scale your ideas.
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The program curriculum includes five distinct topics that collectively meet the program objectives. Learn more about the learning journey through the five topic areas here
Climate & health topics
INTERSECTIONALITY
OF CLIMATE CHANGE
& HEALTH
1
Understand how climate change influences health outcomes and why it might be necessary for climate and health practitioners to find opportunities for collaboration.
SYSTEMS THINKING FOR MOBILISING STAKEHOLDERS TOWARD CLIMATE MITIGATION & ADAPTATION
2
Learn about the stakeholders’ values in the ecosystem and manage their losses to mobilize them towards climate action.
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
TO SCALE
IMPACT
3
Ground public engagement in growing the impact of work. Develop PE toolkit of mechanisms such as advocacy and storytelling.
Leadership topics
ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP FOR EFFECTIVE CHANGE MANAGEMENT
4
Learn how to mobilize people to tackle tough challenges and sustain the movement.
EQUITY &
INCLUSION IN CONTEXTUALISING CLIMATE INTERVENTIONS
5
Diagnose power dynamics and their influence on the inequitable impact on communities and bring a lens of equity and inclusion into action.
What can the program offer you?
The program is a year-long leadership development program starting on October 17, 2022.
It involves learning, coaching, mentoring, and networking on climate, health, and practical and inclusive leadership and public engagement topics. You will identify and learn to leverage the interconnections between your line of work and the climate and health ecosystem, and expand your technical skill-set to better fill systemic gaps. You will also build leadership and communication skills to develop an effective public engagement strategy while learning from a varied and highly engaging set of experts.
You will get the opportunity to interact with the intellectual stalwarts of the climate and health ecosystem and a group of climate and health changemakers that you can lean on as you pursue the challenging and rewarding journey of change towards a healthier world. While the program does offer content sessions on climate change and health, it does not explicitly focus on technical skills; content sessions will center on public engagement.
Since the program centers on public engagement and leadership, it provides an organic way to tap into various networks including Dalberg's and Wellcome's. While it is offered entirely free of charge, it does not explicitly guarantee funding as an outcome.
The program does not offer formal certification and is not equivalent to any college or university course. We aim to be inclusive of changemaker identities across race, nationality, gender, sexuality, neurodiversity, physical ability, and other experiences. However, we are aware of the limitations of a program in English that takes place online. Do reach out to us, and we will do our best to accommodate your specific programmatic needs.
The program commits to:
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Two cohorts spread across the global South
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Sessions in English, with recordings available for reference
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Coaching and peer learning sessions to contextualise concepts and skills in individual’s journey
The program requires changemakers to:
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Commit to 8-10 hours to the program in a month
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Attend all training modules as part of the core public engagement journey
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Conduct regular check-ins with trainers, mentors, and fellow changemakers between sessions
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Complete pre-requisite tasks in between sessions
SKILLS
An expanded understanding of the intersection of climate change and health
Systems thinking skills to analyze complex contextual challenges and build pathways to scale
Public engagement skills to identify and then work with relevant stakeholders for scaling impact
Adaptive leadership toolkit to manage polarities
MINDSETS
Openness to engaging with different stakeholders to identify and work on common goals
Ability to think collaboratively on how to unlock positive change
Empathy to understand complex issues through an equity lens
Comfort with being an inclusive leader who can identify and manage conflict
BEHAVIOURS
Effectively communicating challenges and needs to relevant stakeholders.
Mapping out an action plan for solution’s highest impact potential
Tapping into relevant networks to grow solution to scale
Building a resource map to identify tangible gaps in work and how to fill them
Interested in nominating yourself or another changemaker?
Submit nominations
We are building the inaugural cohort through referrals from our long-term friends and partners. The referred candidates will go through a 2-step recruitment process of online application and interview. The program will launch on October 17.
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What types of skills and behaviors did the previous cohort of changemakers learn?We taught changemakers systems thinking to analyze complex contextual challenges and built pathways to scale and public engagement for identifying and working with relevant stakeholders to activate those pathways. We aimed to inculcate an ability to think collaboratively on how to unlock positive change and empathy to understand complex issues through an equity lens. We expected this to translate into behaviors such as effectively communicating their needs to relevant stakeholders, delineating an action plan for their solution’s highest impact potential, and building a resource map to scale their work.
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How was the inaugural program structured?The program was a free, virtual 12-month-long experience designed for changemakers to attend alongside other full-time commitments, such as a full-time role.
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Can I do the program if I have a full-time job?Yes - the program is designed for you to attend alongside other full-time commitments, such as a full-time role.
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What is the typical length of the program? How much time do I need to commit?The program is typically a 12-month-long experience. We expect changemakers to commit 8-10 hours of their time in a month to program sessions and independent work.
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What kind of changemakers does the program serve?The changemakers in this program are likely to be (not limited to) researchers, community leaders, activists, entrepreneurs, policymakers, lawyers, and intrapreneurs working in corporates, foundations, and civil society organizations with 5+ years of distinctive experience with climate change or health, based in low and middle-income countries. They have identified challenges through their work and are exploring approaches and solutions that already show some promise but are interested in developing their leadership capacity, content knowledge, and ability to engage across networks to take their ideas further, given the systemic nature of the challenges they are working on.
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How many people were part of the inaugural cohorts of the program?The program had two cohorts with 10-12 changemakers each. It was a global cohort, focusing on South and Latin America, Asia, and Africa participants. The program intends to be an immersive, personalized learning experience. A small cohort size will ensure each changemaker gets adequate face time with experienced experts and the chance to bond with others.
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Do I have to pay for the program?No, the program is free of cost.
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Does the program offer a stipend?No, the program does not offer a stipend.
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Will Wellcome fund my project if I participate in the program?Wellcome does not guarantee funding to changemakers post-program completion.
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How can I attend the program?The program is entirely virtual - you will attend online sessions over the year-long program.
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How many people does the program typically have?The program typically has two cohorts with 10-12 changemakers each. The program intends to be an immersive, personalized learning experience. A small cohort size will ensure that each changemaker gets adequate face time with experienced experts and the chance to bond with the others in their cohort.
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In which language will the program teach content?The program will be entirely in English. We are aware of the limitations of a program in English that takes place online. Do reach out to us, and we will do our best to accommodate your specific programmatic needs.
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Where will my fellow program participants come from?The program has a global cohort, focusing on South and Latin America, Asia, and Africa participants.
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Who will teach the program?The program has an experienced panel of experts across climate change, health, and leadership spaces.
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I have a visual/other impairment; can I still participate?The program is designing curricula to be inclusive of different impairments. Do reach out to us to see how we can accommodate your needs to aid your learning experience meaningfully.
Contact
For any questions regarding the program, please write to
Yvonne Jonah, senior program associate