Join a global network of high school students committed to identifying and solving local climate challenges through innovative community projects.
Fall 2026 Cohort: October 9 – December 8, 2026.
Application deadline: September 20, 11:59pm Pacific Time.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Duration & Format | 8 weeks, Online |
| Focus | Climate Solutions, Community Capstone Projects |
| Partners | Stanford University Deliberative Democracy Lab, Rustic Pathways, the Rustic Pathways Foundation |
| Key Dates | Dates: October 9 – December 8, 2026 |
| Application Status | Fall 2026 cohort applications are due September 20th |
| Cost | Pay What You Want |
| Incentive | Select Fellows may be invited to attend a Global Summit (2024 Summit was held in Guatemala; 2025 Summit was held in Colorado). |
I really loved that I got to interact with students from different parts of the world and learn from them
“It was amazing. I was an introvert, but I got to communicate with people from other countries. It got me out of my comfort zone, and the other students had a bunch of good ideas.”
Sanjay Kumar | Johor, Malaysia
“You don’t have to know much about climate change and activism to join. If you are just starting, it’s a great introduction, but if you are already involved, it’s also a great way to motivate you. It’s inspirational hearing other people’s ideas and see them doing their best… I would definitely recommend it to everyone who wants to help.”
Ella Perin | Durham, North Carolina
It was amazing. I was an introvert, but I got to communicate with people from other countries. It got me out of my comfort zone.
The program allowed me to find a community of students who care about the same issues that I do.
I enjoyed that it gives us full authority on what we do. It makes us actively think about what we can do and what we should do for our community, and it makes me feel proud that I have done it.
This fellowship has been very exciting for me and has brought me out of a mental slump. It was awesome being a part of something larger than myself and making a difference in my community.
Thank you so much for giving kids like me the opportunity to show they are more and can do more.
There will be a live weekly Zoom event each week, with half of the events required, and half optional. Outside of Zoom events, Fellows will be expected to plan and implement their projects. All told, we expect the Fellowship to take on average 2–3 hours per week.
Dates: October 9 – December 8, 2026
Application deadline: September 20, 11:59pm Pacific Time
Cost: Pay What You Want
Join for no cost, and at the end of the program, you decide how valuable this program was for you.
The Rustic Pathways Climate Leaders Fellowship is an exciting opportunity for students to take the drivers seat within education for advocating awareness of climate change. The students ran a very successful campaign and really developed a wide range of skills throughout this which adds so much value to their skills set which can be used in or outside the classroom.
Rustic Pathways is a Certifying Organization for the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA), a national program that recognizes eligible volunteer service. The PVSA is currently on a temporary pause, effective May 27, 2025.
When active, students can earn bronze, silver, or gold recognition based on their age and verified service hours completed during a 12-month period.
100+ hours of volunteer service
Varin Sikka
Recognized for organizing and leading multiple food drives.
Zachary Hayes
Recognized for recovering and recycling 500 tennis balls and organizing multiple clean-up events to promote environmental stewardship at his school.
Isha Mehrotra
Recognized for diverting 1961 pounds of textiles from landfills and educating her community on waste management and sustainability practices.
Anika Gupta
Recognized for educating her community on the importance of composting and providing practical tips for reducing organic waste.
Anna Montero
Recognized for organizing a clothing drive to support underprivileged families and promoting the recycling of used clothes in her community.
Aryan Tuteja
Recognized for developing an Artificial Intelligence model that helps classify recyclable materials and educating the community on proper recycling practices.
Suma Evany
Recognized for collecting and donating e-waste to the Electric Access Foundation, reducing environmental pollution and raising awareness about the importance of e-waste recycling.
Lakshmi Agrawal
Recognized for founding a research club to inspire student-led environmental projects and organizing a bi-annual symposium.
75 to 99 hours of volunteer service
Malaika Singh
Recognized for launching a fundraiser to buy several hundred pairs of sustainably produced socks for the local unhoused community.
Samuel Libert
Recognized for leading a cleanup project that removed trash from the water around Hunters Point South Park, filling 17 bags of trash.
Alice Bussler
Recognized for collecting and distributing 2,900 seed packets to promote urban gardening.
50 to 74 hours of volunteer service
Tyler Francis
Recognized for leading daily cleanups and engaging youth in sustainability activities.
Ashley Kelly
Recognized for collecting 215 pairs of sneakers for recycling and upcycling.
Pranav Aiyer
Recognized for repurposing e-waste, donating 30 laptops, and promoting sustainability.
Inika Bassamboo
Recognized for collecting books and supplies for children in Ghana while reducing waste.
Ella Dattamajumdar
Recognized for creating an interactive climate education program for young students.
Amita Akshinthala
Recognized for co-directing two cohorts and supporting four student facilitators to help ~50 fellows design and implement their projects.
Rewa Bathula
Recognized for upcycling 212 pounds of glass bottles into eco-friendly candles, reducing glass waste in her community.
Barron Smith
Recognized for reshaping 13.75 acres of land to provide homes for hundreds of animals, improving the local ecosystem.
Lysha Rashid
Recognized for donating 200-300 bags of clothes, toys, and other items to shelters and presenting on pollution control to youth at local schools.
Angelo Boujaoude
Recognized for collecting and donating 63 articles of clothing and 31 pairs of shoes to local shelters, promoting reusing items instead of sending them to landfills.
Alexia Purkanto
Recognized for teaching children how to integrate sustainability into their daily lives through creative art projects using recycled materials.
Alexandra Pool
Recognized for organizing an educational Earth Week at her school, raising awareness on climate change and inspiring fellow students to take action.
Kate Ragatz
Recognized for a solution to provide a sustainable energy source through hydropower while also supplying clean drinking water.
Michael Doyle
Recognized for raising $1,735.80, providing over 5,000 meals for families in need during the holiday season, helping reduce food insecurity in his community.
Alice Bussler
Recognized for reducing food waste and repurposing paper through her initiative, which is expected to donate over 400 servings of food and has created 837 seed packets.
Aryan Tuteja
Recognized for fundraising to support waste management and recycling initiatives.
Charlotte Patty
Recognized for implementing a high school recycling program, offsetting the community’s emissions by over 1,400 pounds.
Marin Peale
Recognized for creating a composting system at a local middle school and launching a coat drive, saving coats from landfills for underserved people.
Also recognizedThaniha Mohan, Krish Matai, Sophie Berman, Benny Jiang
The Climate Leadership Award recognizes the most impactful projects completed by Fellows from each cohort of the Climate Leaders Fellowship. These honors celebrate outstanding achievements in tackling climate change and inspiring communities to take action.
Tbilisi, Georgia
Founded Ecolis, which pairs a team-based cleanup championship with a volunteer eco club, clearing waste from Georgia’s beaches and forests. Social media campaigns carry the message between cleanups, and she plans to run both programs as recurring seasonal events.
693 kg of waste collected over three days across Tbilisi and Batumi, in the championship’s debut season · 20+ teams, 65+ participants · 35 active volunteers in the Tbilisi Eco Club · 80,000+ views on social media in about two and a half months · 4.76 out of 5 average rating from club members
Kelly Liu
California, USA
Leads ConServe, her nonprofit, which pairs school board climate policy with air quality monitoring. Low-cost PM2.5 sensors and pollution risk maps give districts the data to decide where filtration is needed, starting with underserved schools.
More than 36,000 students reached · climate action resolutions introduced in 18 California districts and passed unanimously in the Milpitas Unified and Fremont Union High School districts, about 10,000 students each · monitoring expanding across 24 schools · $4,000+ raised
Tataz Mekanuwongsa
Bangkok, Thailand
Built GoGreen Recycling, a neighborhood collection service that turns recycling from an extra chore into a scheduled routine. Residents sort at home, book a pickup, and get cash back by material, though most donate it back to the program, which funds sorting games for kids and flood relief drives.
5 tons recycled over the life of the project · more than 30 neighbors signed up in the original neighborhood, close to 40% of it · about 50 now, after expanding into a second neighborhood · pickup schedule rebuilt around resident requests
Eeshwara Pulsani
Bangalore, India
Swapped disposable tissue and single-use serving materials for biodegradable banana leaves at his school’s snack service, cut from trees on the campus farm. Students prepare the leaves themselves, which puts the practice in their hands and reconnects the school with a long-standing Indian custom.
Reaches the 800+ students served snacks each day · targets an estimated 500+ tissue and plastic serving items used at evening snack service alone · runs at no cost, since the leaves come from trees already on campus
Jerry Zong
Hong Kong, China
Runs Food for Thought, a school club whose weekly food distribution with Feeding Hong Kong reaches elderly neighbors, alongside a campaign to change how students think about what they throw away. Volunteers stay to talk with the people they serve, many of whom live alone.
About 120 elderly people served each weekend · about 15 kg of non-perishable food collected through drives · more than three awareness boards on campus, built with Sodexo Hong Kong, plus presentations to primary students
Rustic Pathways offers sustainable travel programs focused on climate change mitigation in Costa Rica, Fiji, and the Dominican Republic. Students engage in reforestation, renewable energy education, and sustainable farming. Rustic Pathways sustainable travel programs last 1–3 weeks and align with UN climate goals.
The Climate Leaders Fellowship is a climate leadership action program, run by Rustic Pathways, the Rustic Pathways Foundation (501c3), and the Stanford Deliberative Democracy Lab.
Admission to the Climate Leaders Fellowship is open to every motivated student, but finishing is earned, completing the Fellowship means designing and implementing a real community project over 8 weeks.
As of June 2026, 4,041 students have enrolled and 1,583 have graduated as Climate Leaders, each delivering a documented local impact.
Rustic Pathways is a Certifying Organization for the Presidential Volunteer Service Award (PVSA), and will resume once the program is reauthorized.
The Rustic Pathways Climate Leaders Fellowship was named Winner of the 2026 GoAbroad Innovation Award for Innovation in Climate Action.
Want to learn more about how the Climate Leaders Fellowship works, upcoming cohorts, or how your students or school can get involved? Request more information, and our team will reach out to answer your questions.
