Climate Leaders Fellowship

Climate Leaders Fellowship
Innovating for Climate Solutions

Join a global network of high school students committed to identifying and solving local climate challenges through innovative community projects.

Apply Now

The Climate Leaders Fellowship is a leadership development program provided by Rustic Pathways in collaboration with the Stanford University Deliberative Democracy Lab and the Rustic Pathways Foundation.

Climate Leaders Fellowship connects high school students across the globe to work together to identify and address climate impact opportunities in their local neighborhoods. Fellows work together, bond, and complete capstone projects over the course of 12 weeks.

Upon successful completion of their projects, select fellows may be invited to attend a global Summit. The 2024 Summer Climate Leaders Fellowship Summit was held in Antigua, Guatemala.

Dates: October 10 – December 9, 2025
Deadline to apply: September 21, 2025
Cost: Pay What You Want

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In the Climate Leaders Fellowship, you will:

Design and implement a volunteer project in your community aimed to reduce the impact and harms of climate change.
Join a cohort of like-minded high school students from across the world working on the same project. This means you’ll get to collaborate with other Fellows in your cohort while retaining the ability to customize and personalize your individual project based on your local community’s needs.
Get support from cohort facilitators who will provide guidance, answer questions, and coordinate virtual collaboration opportunities via Zoom meetings, email, and/or messaging.

[The program was] a transformative and invaluable experience for me

Julia Masuda

Yokohama, Japan

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I really loved that I got to interact with students from different parts of the world and learn from them

Pichamon Pongnonthachai

Thailand

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[The program] was an eye-opening experience … to create positive change

Julienne Adams

Ashland, Oregon

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Climate Leaders Fellowship: In Their Own Words

“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

See What Fellows Have Accomplished

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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.

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About the Climate Leaders Fellowship

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 10 – December 9, 2025
Deadline to apply: September 21, 2025
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.

Apply Now

Quote by: Helen Maisey Geography Teacher, Tenby International School (Malaysia)

Individuals who complete the Climate Leaders Fellowship will:

Receive a certificate of volunteer hours from Rustic Pathways and the Stanford Deliberative Democracy Lab for hours they committed to the fellowship. For Fellows who are based in the US, all hours spent on the Fellowship will also count toward the Presidential Volunteer Service Award. Past participants have earned an average of 20 volunteer hours.
Have a specific story of community impact that showcases their leadership abilities to inspire others and highlight for other college, job, and/or scholarship applications.
Be invited to highlight their project and story on Rustic Pathways’ social media and/or website.

About the President's Volunteer Service Award

Rustic Pathways is certified to grant the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA). The U.S. President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation created the award in 2003. The PVSA honors volunteers and their important role to the nation.

Volunteers can earn a bronze, silver or gold President’s Volunteer Service Award award and a certificate and letter from the President of the United States. The level of the honor varies based on a student’s age and the number of service hours earned during a 12-month period.

Gold PVSA Award, 100+ hours of volunteer service

Varin Sikka California (Cohort 3 & 7)

Recognized for organizing and leading multiple food drives.

Zachary Hayes Oregon (Cohort 6)

Recognized for recovering and recycling 500 tennis balls and organizing multiple clean-up events to promote environmental stewardship at his school.

Isha Mehrotra Washington (Cohort 6)

Recognized for diverting 1961 pounds of textiles from landfills and educating her community on waste management and sustainability practices.

Anika Gupta Washington (Cohort 6)

Recognized for educating her community on the importance of composting and providing practical tips for reducing organic waste.

Anna Montero North Carolina (Cohort 5)

Recognized for organizing a clothing drive to support underprivileged families and promoting the recycling of used clothes in her community.

Aryan Tuteja Colorado (Cohort 5)

Recognized for developing an Artificial Intelligence model that helps classify recyclable materials and educating the community on proper recycling practices.

Suma Evany New Jersey (Cohort 6)

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 Washington (Cohort 7)

Recognized for founding a research club to inspire student-led environmental projects and organizing a bi-annual symposium.

Silver PVSA Award, 75-99 hours of volunteer service

Malaika Singh New York (Cohort 4)

Recognized for launching a fundraiser to buy several hundred pairs of sustainably produced socks for the local unhoused community.

Samuel Libert New York (Cohort 6)

Recognized for leading a cleanup project that removed trash from the water around Hunters Point South Park, filling 17 bags of trash.

Alice Bussler Pennsylvania (Cohort 7)

Recognized for collecting and distributing 2,900 seed packets to promote urban gardening.

Bronze PVSA Award, 50-74 hours of volunteer service

Tyler Francis Virginia (Cohort 7)

Recognized for leading daily cleanups and engaging youth in sustainability activities.

Ashley Kelly Connecticut (Cohort 7)

Recognized for collecting 215 pairs of sneakers for recycling and upcycling.

Pranav Aiyer California (Cohort 7)

Recognized for repurposing e-waste, donating 30 laptops, and promoting sustainability.

Inika Bassamboo Illinois (Cohort 7)

Recognized for collecting books and supplies for children in Ghana while reducing waste.

Ella Dattamajumdar California (Cohort 7)

Recognized for creating an interactive climate education program for young students.

Amita Akshinthala New Jersey (Cohort 6)

Recognized for co-directing two cohorts and supporting four student facilitators to help ~50 fellows design and implement their projects.

Rewa Bathula California (Cohort 6)

Recognized for upcycling 212 pounds of glass bottles into eco-friendly candles, reducing glass waste in her community.

Barron Smith Indiana (Cohort 6)

Recognized for reshaping 13.75 acres of land to provide homes for hundreds of animals, improving the local ecosystem.

Lysha Rashid Virginia (Cohort 6)

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 New Jersey (Cohort 5)

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 Pennsylvania (Cohort 5)

Recognized for teaching children how to integrate sustainability into their daily lives through creative art projects using recycled materials.

Alexandra Pool Colorado (Cohort 4)

Recognized for organizing an educational Earth Week at her school, raising awareness on climate change and inspiring fellow students to take action.

Kate Ragatz California (Cohort 3)

Recognized for a solution to provide a sustainable energy source through hydropower while also supplying clean drinking water.

Michael Doyle Pennsylvania (Cohort 3)

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 Pennsylvania (Cohort 6)

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 Colorado (Cohort 4)

Recognized for fundraising to support waste management and recycling initiatives.

Charlotte Patty Texas (Cohort 3)

Recognized for implementing a high school recycling program, offsetting the community’s emissions by over 1,400 pounds.

Marin Peale Virginia

Recognized for creating a composting system at a local middle school and launching a coat drive, saving coats from landfills for underserved people.

Bronze award recipients not pictured:

Thaniha Mohan, Krish Matai, Sophie Berman, Benny Jiang.

Climate Leadership Award

The Climate Leadership Award recognizes the most impactful projects completed by Fellows from each cohort of the Climate Leaders Fellowship.

These awards celebrate outstanding achievements in tackling climate change and inspiring communities to take action. Winning projects from the the Spring 2024 Cycle showcase innovation, dedication and a strong commitment to creating a positive environmental impact.

The ReBottle Project

Jessie Choi & Grace Wang

Texas, USA

The ReBottle Project addressed the issue of plastic pollution by working with cafe owners to incentivize customers to bring reusable bottles, thus preventing further plastic waste.

Read Project Story

Climate Summit’24

Tuana Guzdemir, Ahmet Algi & Duru Ölçer

Turkey & USA

The Climate Summit’24 brought together over 60 passionate young leaders and climate experts in a dynamic 2-day event to explore innovative solutions and inspire action for a sustainable future.

Read Project Story

Community Waste Management Improvement

Isha Mehrotra

Washington, USA

Teenager in Redmond, WA worked to divert waste from landfills through educational campaigns and hosting drives for hard-to-recycle items, redirecting over 5000 pounds of waste away from landfills.

Read Project Story