About the Program

The UC Irvine Sustainability Resource Center (SRC) hosted the seventh annual summer institute for sustainability leadership for incoming first-year and transfer students during the weekend of August 23 – 25, 2019. We updated the institute’s curriculum and name. The institute is now called the Student Leadership Institute for Climate Resilience.

Developed at UCI, the Student Leadership Institute for Climate Resilience (SLICR) is a three-day residential intensive that provides participants with an overview of some of the major challenges and opportunities we face in building community climate resilience, as well as tools for action.

The institute introduced a select cohort of students to:

• Ways that climate change, racism and all social injustice, economic inequality, and our challenged democracy are connected;
• Leadership skills that develop inner awareness and awareness of the interdependence of all life;
• Key concepts and tools for changing systems and cultures such as intersectionality, decolonization, cultural narratives, collaborative problem solving, and systems thinking; and
• Key concepts and tools for assessing and addressing one’s own ecological footprint in the context of our communities.

In so doing, students:

• Gain first-hand experience of UCI’s sustainability landscape; including our campus’ carbon neutrality, sustainability, food action, and environmental justice communities;
• Connect with sustainability youth leaders on campus, including SISL alumni, and community leaders;
• Connect with student opportunities in research, education, and community engagement; and
• Develop ‘next-steps’ regarding their place as sustainability and social justice leaders on campus.