Application Deadline: September 12, 2025
Host: Harvard University’s Center for Hellenic Studies
Location: Nafplio, Greece and Zoom
Duration: 7 Months
Overview
Increasingly, health professionals recognize that mitigating and responding to the impacts of climate change is critical to improving the health of their patients.
Health professionals have been shown to be among the most effective, trustworthy messengers for climate action. But to be effective agents of change they must be empowered with skills to gather and organize others, have an ability to work with communities, and possess a strong sense of self-efficacy and purpose. This course supports development of practices to implement climate solutions in the community you serve. This course will begin in March 2026 and has in-person and online components.
Focus Areas:
- Community Organizing and Public Narrative Workshops: Global COACH scholars will receive in-depth community organizing and storytelling, training developed originally by Harvard Kennedy School Professor Marshall Ganz and adapted for health professionals by Dr. Pedja Stojicic. Workshops will develop a skill set that can be immediately applied to climate solution initiatives.
- Climate Change Impacts on Health: The course will provide a series of lectures that describe the impacts of climate change on health to establish a knowledge base of scientific evidence that can be useful in organizing work.
- Collective Action Climate Campaign: As part of the application process, each group will propose a climate solution project they are already or wish to work on as part of the program. The expectation is that participants will work in real time to implement their climate solution project.
- Longitudinal Expert Coaching: Each scholar will have the opportunity to work on their group’s project with an expert community organizing coach. The coach will work with each participant during the immersion and monthly sessions.
- Community Building and Opportunities to Develop Collaboration: Working in the climate solutions space can be overwhelming. We will deliberately create space in which participants can find solidarity, inspiration, healing, and clarity in defining and acting upon their values. We will also provide opportunities for community and collaboration among climate health organizations.
Benefits
- Fully Funded
- The organizers will arrange and cover round trip, economy class airfare to Greece, as well as accommodation, meals, and ground transportation during the in-person immersion week.
- Scholars will fly into Athens and participate in community building and social activities at the beginning of the immersion before traveling as a group by bus to the headquarters of CHS Greece in Nafplio where programming will occur for the remainder of the week. Scholars will fly back home on April 4.
- A certificate of attendance will be issued to each participant at the end of the course.
- After the in-person immersion concludes, there will be monthly Zoom two-hour sessions for six months until October 2026.
Please Note: It is the responsibility of each participant to obtain the necessary visas for travel, though the organizers can supply supporting documentation and reimburse costs, including long-distance travel to an embassy or consulate if required.
Who Can Apply
- This program is open to any health professionals worldwide who provide direct patient care and to community partners working with health professionals.
Selection Criteria
- Applications will be accepted by groups of three people who are already working together on climate initiatives.
- There will be one application per group. Applying as a group enables home organizations to develop a larger cadre of individuals trained in community organizing and will allow greater impact on their vision and programmatic goals. Working with a community partner gives the health professionals an opportunity to more deeply connect with community initiatives.
How to Apply
Fill the online application form:
https://qe3epzdebex.typeform.com/to/ycaX671W?typeform-source=fxb.harvard.edu
For more information, please visit Harvard University webpage:
https://fxb.harvard.edu/global-coach/
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