Discover the Tools to Support the Next Generation

A transformative learning experience to bridge the gap between climate awareness and mental well-being in youth.

As climate change impacts intensify, so do the mental health challenges facing young people.

Yet, professionals supporting youth often feel underprepared for this new terrain. This course was created to fill that gap — to equip frontline professionals with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to support youth in the context of climate change.

What You'll Learn

This course is a transformative journey rooted in the metaphor of the hero’s journey, guiding learners from awareness to action, while promoting personal growth and professional development.

Knowledge

Skills

Action

Course Modules

The course is structured around 6 modules, each of which will broaden the learners’ knowledge and skills about specific moments in the hero’s journey and will offer opportunities to apply new knowledge and skills in the real world.

1. The Awakening

This module explores how people perceive climate change and its impact on their well-being. Learners will examine how climate change affects natural, emotional, social, and institutional systems, with a focus on youth in northern and remote regions. The module highlights the generational differences in risk perception and the growing concern for mental health linked to climate-related disruptions.

2. The Journey

Learners will investigate how youth become aware of climate issues through education, media, and social influences. The module dives into the emotional responses this awareness generates, such as grief, hope, and anxiety, and introduces the concept of eco-anxiety. It also highlights developmental differences in how young people process the crisis and emphasizes the importance of emotional support.

3. Facing Dragons

This module unpacks the psychological and societal barriers that prevent climate action, known as “Gifford’s Dragons of Inaction.” Learners will explore how these barriers affect youth and discover effective problem-focused, emotion-focused, and meaning-focused coping strategies to help support mental health and encourage positive engagement.

4. Rooted Resilience

Focusing on personal growth and resilience, this module introduces the Inner Development Goals Framework. Learners will explore how cultivating qualities like empathy, purpose, and courage can support well-being. The module also emphasizes the healing power of reconnecting with nature through mindfulness, reflection, and nature-based practices.

5. Conversations

This module centers on effective, age-appropriate climate communication. Learners will develop empathic listening skills and learn to hold space for youth emotions without minimizing them. It also explores creative ways to engage youth through books, art, games, and media tailored to developmental stages from preschool to young adulthood.

6. Action Planning

In this final module, learners will reflect on key insights from the course and develop a personalized work plan. Whether they are educators, mental health professionals, or youth workers, participants will leave with practical tools and strategies to support the mental health and climate engagement of the young people they serve.

Meet The Instructors

The heart and minds behind the course—meet the people walking this journey with you.

Stefania Maggi

Dr. Maggi is a researcher, educator, and a children’s rights advocate. She has been a faculty member at Carleton University since 2007 where she is cross appointed with the Childhood and Youth Studies program and the Department of Psychology. She teaches courses on the psychology of climate change, children’s rights, nature connection, and research methods. Her research, teaching, and advocacy are devoted to the mental health impacts of climate change on children and youth, green guidance; climate change education; and immersive technologies as tools to support meaningful engagement with climate action. Dr. Maggi is the founder of Mochi4theplanet , a youth-centered intergenerational initiative promoting mental health and children’s rights in the context of the climate crisis.

McKenna Corvello

McKenna Corvello is a recent Master’s graduate in Psychology from Carleton University with a passion for supporting youth in the climate change movement. Growing up in a small town in Northwestern Ontario, McKenna developed a deep connection to nature that now fuels her work in the climate change and mental health space. Her research focuses on the emotional impacts of climate change, coping styles that promote both climate action and well-being, and the restorative benefits of nature connection and finding meaning during times of global crises.

Bo Aganaba

Bo is the Founder and Principal at GoodBeing Co . and host of the GoodBeing Podcast. He is an urban, environmental, and energy planner by training, certified yoga teacher and former executive director of a youth-led sustainability not for profit organization. The son of Nigerian immigrants to Canada, he has also spent time living in the UK, Hungary and Denmark. With GoodBeing, Bo works with businesses, organizations, and community groups to create new ways of being grounded in the pursuit of human flourishing.

Tariq Harney

Tariq Harney is a 23-year-old Masters student whose work focuses on the intersection of climate, divestment, language, and activism. As Director of Operations at Break The Divide since 2023, Tariq supports the organization’s mission of fostering resilience to climate change and inspiring youth-led community action across Canada. A lifelong clarinet player and avid hockey enthusiast, Tariq understands the power of creative expression and team sports in building community. Tariq is currently pursuing a Master’s in Anthropology at the University of Toronto, equipping him with critical insights into activism and community dynamics.