The Young Climate Leaders Fellowship is an online climate-action and leadership program provided by Rustic Pathways in collaboration with the Stanford University Deliberative Democracy Lab and the Rustic Pathways Foundation. It is designed for high school students ages 14–18 worldwide.
Over eight weeks, fellows join weekly Zoom events and spend about 2–3 hours per week researching a local climate challenge and designing and implementing a community capstone project. Half of the live events are required and half are optional. The Fall 2026 cohort runs from October 9 to December 8, 2026.
Benefits & funding
- Participants may join at no cost under a Pay What You Want model and decide after the program whether to contribute.
- Cohort facilitators provide project guidance through Zoom, email, and messaging.
- Participants who complete the fellowship receive a certificate documenting their volunteer hours from Rustic Pathways and the Stanford University Deliberative Democracy Lab.
- Select fellows may be invited to a future Climate Leaders Summit.
Eligibility
- High school students ages 14–18 may apply.
- The fellowship is open worldwide, with no nationality or residency restriction stated.
- Prior climate knowledge is not required; motivation to create change is the stated prerequisite.
- Fellows are expected to take part in weekly activities and complete a climate-action project in their own community.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Education required
High School
Age requirement
14–18 yrs
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Application process
- 1Open the official fellowship page and select Apply Now.
- 2Complete and submit the linked official application form by the deadline.
Program timeline
Application deadline
September 20, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time
Fall cohort starts
October 9, 2026
Fall cohort ends
December 8, 2026