Climate Leadership Program

The Climate Leaders Program of the DC Chapter of the Sierra Club provides training and mentorship every year to a group of high school students. The program accepts one participant from each ward in DC. Climate Leaders engage in impactful projects that address pressing local environmental issues and provide a platform for teens to participate in advocacy work, community projects, and educational initiatives. All participants receive a small honorarium for their participation. Take a look at some of our past projects!

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The Climate Leadership Program strives to foster a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming space that encourages the active participation of teens from all backgrounds, empowering them to become change-makers in their communities. 

Our Work in Action

This video was filmed and produced by Avril Silva of George Washington University and published by Planet Forward with footage from our annual Climate Leaders Showcase.

If you are interested in being a volunteer mentor for the program, see the volunteer job description and email eva.sadana@sierraclub.org if interested.

Climate Leaders Program Slideshow

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All the participants of the CLP with their graduation certificates after their project presentations.

CLP participants practice their negotiating skills as part of a mock meeting with council.

Our beyond gas team presenting about their project at a climate forum.

CLP participants discussing testimony for upcoming legislation in D.C.

Our bottle bill group brainstorming ideas for their project.

A member of our lead in water team as a panelist at an environmental town hall in Ward 7.

CLP participants practicing their testimony with one another at a training.

CLP participants mapping out their understanding of the causes of climate change.

A CLP participant talking about outdoor air quality as a panelist at an environmental town hall in Ward 7.

Our lead in water team canvassing in Ward 8 with one of our partners at Young Gifted & Green.

Our beyond gas team presenting about the dangers of gas in the home.

Our Chapter Director training the CLP participants in grassroots organizing.

Our 2024-2025 cohort of CLP participants on their first day in the program.

The Sierra Club DC Climate Leadership Program provides seven months of hands-on training and mentorship to young and aspiring environmental activists. Sierra Club Climate Leaders learn about pressing local environmental issues and their solutions. Then, working with a supportive mentor, each participant develops and delivers an impactful Capstone Project that promotes the sustainability and health of the District of Columbia.

We are open for applications for our next cohort for the 2026-2027 academic year! You can apply on our website. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to youth@dc.sierraclub.org.