Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue

Climate Action Fellowship

16 climate action fellowship participants and organizers pose outside holding the Burnaby Climate Action Guide they created together

From March - June 2023, a cohort of dedicated, climate-conscious residents of Burnaby met weekly to explore how to generate a climate-resilient, community-led future for Burnaby. These leaders are members of the inaugural Climate Action Fellowship convened as part of the Urban Resilient Futures (URF) Burnaby initiative, stewarded by Simon Fraser University’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue in partnership with the City of Burnaby and Vancity. 

One of the central missions of the Climate Action Fellowship is to empower Burnaby residents and institutional leaders to become climate champions within their communities. Taking collective action in groups fosters the creation of social capital, exploration of the interplay between climate action and personal identity, and the recognition of links between climate and other societal priorities, including health, equity,and community. 

To fulfil this mission, our design team recognizes the importance of building a diverse cohort within the multicultural city of Burnaby, where residents speak over 120 languages, and more than half were not born in Canada. It is crucial for the cohort to reflect this diverse social fabric. Participants in the Climate Action Fellowship cohort represent a wide range of employment and immigration statuses, ethnicities, and languages spoken. Despite adverse weather conditions, they demonstrated unwavering commitment, meeting every Thursday from 4:30-7:30 pm, often coming directly from their demanding workdays to brainstorm and envision a resilient, low-carbon and climate-friendly Burnaby.

Over ten weeks, the cohort collaborated within itself, as well as with organisations, institutions and groups most affected by climate change, and, most importantly, with their own communities. They explored climate action in Burnaby while building relationships with one another and subject matter experts, enhancing their network and capacity for climate action on a neighbourhood level.

Our hope is that this group-centred approach will sustain progress in the long term, rooted in community aspirations and relationships. 

Participants at the climate action fellowship dialogue responding to a facilitator holding a microphone
  • Burnaby Climate Action Guide

    Members of the URF Burnaby Climate Action Fellowship developed the Burnaby Climate Action Guide as a result of their ten-week collaboration. The guide provides a roadmap for reducing carbon emissions in Burnaby.

    Read more

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Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue
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