FAQs
Everything you need to know about course enrollment, eligibility and deliverables.
This course has been designed for post-secondary students (undergraduate and graduate level), and emerging and established professionals who are concerned about how chronic manifestations of climate change (e.g., droughts, pollution), and extreme weather events (e.g., forest fires, hurricanes) are impacting the mental health and wellbeing of children and youth.
Learners must be 18 years old or above to register for this course. Being an online course, there are technical requirements, such as the need for access to the internet. The course is hosted on Brightspace, a digital learning platform which is easy to navigate and requires basic familiarity with the online medium. Technical support is provided for those learners needing help.
The course is open to learners from Canadian and abroad. There are no restrictions as to what country learners can join the course. However, since the course is offered in English, proficiency in English is required.
No prior knowledge of climate change and mental health is required. Given its introductory nature, this course may not be suited for learners who have taken specialized courses or advanced degrees in climate change and youth mental health.
In 2025, the course is offered twice with start dates on July 2 and September 2. Sign up here to receive information about future dates.
To earn your certificate of completion you must:
- Complete the course within 12 weeks from the start date of the course.
- Obtain an average of 80% in the required activities.
Learners who successfully complete the course will receive a Certificate of Completion from Carleton University which will include a designation of completion for a Ministry approved Ontario Micro-Credential.
The certificate will be mailed to you approximately 2 weeks after the course end date, once grading is complete.
What is a Micro-Credential?
According to the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities “Micro-credentials are rapid training programs offered by postsecondary education institutions across the province that can help you get the skills that employers need. Micro-credentials help people retrain and upgrade their skills to find new employment.” More information about micro-credentials can be found here.
No, there is no Carleton University alumni status granted for this course. However, you will have the option to be added to the list of alumni for the Luna Moth Circle giving you continued access to a thriving community of practice, digital resources, and discounts on selected books and events.
This online course is asynchronous with optional live sessions. Learners progress through the modules online at their own pace. Furthermore, learners can join weekly climate café style live sessions where they can interact with the instructors and other learners.
According to the Climate Psychology Alliance North America (CPA-NA), climate cafés offer “an informal, open, and confidential space for people to share their emotional responses and reactions to the climate and environmental crisis.” In the context of this course, climate cafés will be tailored to the specific needs of professionals working at the intersection of climate change and youth mental health.
The asynchronous, self-paced components of the course are designed to be completed over a period of 6 weeks. Each weekly module may be completed in approximately 7 hours. Learners can progress through their module at their own pace and have 12 weeks from the start date of the course to complete it. For example, for the course with a start date of July 2, learners have until October 2 to complete the course.
The optional online climate cafés will be offered over a period of six consecutive weeks starting the first week of the course. For example, for the course with a start date of July 2, climate cafés will be offered once a week from July 2 to August 6, inclusive. Each climate café will last 45min.
The course learning objectives are built around three areas: knowledge, skills, and action. Each module begins with knowledge where learners acquire key concepts and expand their understanding of the module topics. This knowledge will be shared through different mediums such as written text, videos and podcasts. The content will be broken down in small, digestible parts requiring approximately 20min to be completed. This section of the module takes approximately 3 hours to complete.
The second part of the module centers around skills development and action. Learners will improve their skills and enhance their capacity for action completing self-reflection, analysing case studies, and completing meaningful assignments. In this part of the module, learners will complete assignments that asks them to:
- Connect course content to their own experiential knowledge.
- Reflect on the course content considering their own perspective as well as that of young people.
- Apply what has been learnt to the unique circumstances of the learner’s challenges and opportunities to address youth mental health needs, shape intention, and motivate action.
This section of the module takes approximately 4 hours to complete.
The weekly climate cafés will last 45 minutes. Participation in the climate cafés does not require prior preparation. Being optional for learners, their participation will not bear any weight on course completion.
You will have access to the online learning platform and all the videos and program materials for 12 months following the program start date. Access to the learning platform is restricted to registered participants as per the terms of the agreement.
Learners will need the latest version of their preferred browser to access the learning platform. For participation in the climate cafés, learners will require Zoom. Microsoft Office and a PDF viewer are also required to access documents and presentations and to complete assignments.
Yes, Brightspace is accessed via the internet, and video content is not available for download. However, you can download files of video transcripts, readings, and other documents for viewing offline. For optimal experience, we recommend accessing course content from a desktop or laptop.
Climate cafés will take place on Zoom which require to be connected to the internet. Climate cafés sessions will not be recorded.
You can register up to the start date of the course. For example, if the start date for the course is July 2, you may register up until 11:59pm on July 1. Registrations will not be accepted once the course has started.
Information on how to register for this course is found here.
The course costs CAN$1,800 (plus tax). This amount includes course registration and administrative costs to process your registration.
This course was developed with funding from the Ontario Micro-Credential Challenge Fund. As a Ministry approved course, learners can apply for financial assistance through OSAP for Micro-credentials. More information about this assistance program can be found here.
Information about payment methods from Canada and from abroad can be found here.
Learners can withdraw from the course within 1 week of the start date for the course. For example, if the course start date is July 2, learners can withdraw up to 11:59pm on July 8. Leaners will receive a full refund, minus a non-refundable processing fee of CAN$128.5.
You may direct your questions to [email protected]
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