Student Leadership Institute for Climate Resiliency

A group of students in front of a tree

About 

The Student Leadership Institute for Climate Resilience (SLICR) is a UC-wide initiative designed to engage students with a meaningful introduction to environmental justice action and sustainability on campus. Hosted by SERC NEWT, this overnight retreat is designed for students who are currently active in the environmental or social justice community and are interested in developing their leadership skills to become future eco-leaders.

We are only beginning to understand the interconnectedness of our world and the large-scale problems that we are facing that pressure our generation particularly. This course is particularly designed for the personal and community resilience among student leaders and activists as we aim to strategically decolonize and dismantle the oppressive structures that exist locally and globally by learning from and uplifting each other, enabled by this transformative training. Be prepared to stretch out of your comfort zone.

SLICR at UC Berkeley 

SLICR stands for the Student Leadership Institute for Climate Resilience. The program originated from UC Irvine’s Student Institute for Sustainability Leadership (SISL). Read more about our roots here. The UC Berkeley SLICR cohorts began in October 2019 after two campus leaders, Sharon Daraphonhdeth (SERC Director) and Sandra Bass (the Director of the Public Service Center) attended the Trainers Training session in 2018 with other campus directors across the UC system  (see the summary here). 

Previously offered as The Climate Resilience Training for Student Leaders Decal, SLICR is now offered at UC Berkeley as an overnight retreat during the spring semester. 

Students interested in participating in SLICR for Spring 2025 should email serc@berkeley.edu  or vangel_sa03@berkeley.edu for more information.

We recognize that BIPOC, disabled, and low-income people have been implicated in structures of oppression within environmental spaces and actively encourage students from these or other marginalized identities to apply. We also encourage students of all majors and transfer/re-entry students to apply. We are prioritizing students who are looking to grow and expand their leadership skills within environmental spaces; prior leadership experience is not required.

Student Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this program, successful students will: 

Understand the basic concepts of sustainability and community resilience 

  • Understand some of the basic social equity, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability, resilience, food systems, and climate destabilization

  • Be able to explain criteria of community resilience efforts

  • Understand the concepts of intergenerational social responsibility and global stewardship

Be able to use leadership practices and skills that develop personal resilience

  • Practice tools for personal resilience that will support effective leadership in college and beyond (e.g., inner awareness)

  • Create a personal resilience map

  • Draw connections between personal behavior, sustainability, and community resilience concepts 

Be able to use leadership practices and skills that enable effective action for campus and community resilience

  • Build community with campus staff, students, faculty, and off-campus community members

  • Deepen sense of purpose and commitment to be an agent of change

  • Understand how to apply social narratives that motivate and engage people with climate issues

  • Create a personal leadership vision

  • Identify spheres of influence, potential action steps, and systems of peer support

Learn More About the SLICR Curriculum