Overview
In this unit, participants will be developing a Climate Action Leadership Development Plan.
As Brown (2018) reminded us, “…very few of us were raised to get emotionally curious about what we are feeling…. we weren’t taught the skill that the most resilient among us share: Slow down, take a deep breath, and get curious about what’s happening.” A recent Globe and Mail article (Ungar, 2019) speaks to the importance of resourcing as a factor contributing to resilience, find “the relationships that nurture you, the opportunities to use your talents and the places where you experience community and governmental support and social justice…..your world will help you succeed more than you could ever help yourself” (para 39). As we seek to sustain ourselves amidst the work of climate adaptation, what sources of resilience can we build on and what can we develop to sustain ourselves for this demanding work?
Resilience is currently receiving a lot of media attention. Our efforts to cultivate communities and workplaces of inclusion and belonging (Block, 2008; Stallard & Pankau, 2008) amidst environments that are in constant change are yielding resilience challenges for leaders, climate adaptation practitioners, and employees alike. Resilience positively enhances our conflict handling skills, our capacity for managing everyday stressors, and our capacity for navigating our many relationships. Kathryn McEwen, an organizational psychologist operating out of Australia, defines resilience as, “an individual’s capacity to manage the everyday stress of work and remain healthy, rebound and learn from unexpected setbacks and prepare for future challenges proactively” (2016, p. 2)
Activities and Assessment
- Review assigned readings and resources for Unit 5
- Activity 1: Participate in Peer Review online discussion forum by Wednesday
- Complete Assignment 3: Climate Action and Resilience Leadership Development Plan
Activity 1: Peer Review discussion forum
Please use this forum to share draft LDPs with your peer review partner for feedback in advance of the assignment due date. See the course activities schedule for the deadline.